Leafs call up nine players from minors ahead of crucial playoff game
Nine players will get a bit of added playoff experience with the Toronto Maple Leafs, even if they aren’t likely to hit the ice.
Ahead of tonight’s Game 6 against the Boston Bruins, the franchise called up a whole host of players to serve as the proverbial “Black Aces” as part of Toronto’s practice squad for the remainder of the postseason.
As per CapFriendly, Alex Steeves, Marshall Rifai, Topi Niemela, Max Lajoie, Mikko Kokkonen, Dennis Hildeby, Dylan Gambrell, Kyle Clifford and Nick Abruzzese were all called up to the NHL on Wednesday.
The Marlies crashed out of the first round of the playoffs with a loss in a three-game series against the Belleville Senators. In the regular season, Toronto amassed a 34-26-10-2 record, finishing fifth in the North Division.
Meanwhile, the Leafs will be without star forward Auston Matthews, who is set to miss a second straight playoff game due to an undisclosed illness.
Toronto dropped the opening game of the series before storming back to win Game 2. After dropping Games 3 and 4 in Toronto, the Leafs managed to extend the series with a Game 5 overtime win in Boston on Tuesday night.
Leafs 2024 first-round playoff schedule
- Game 6: Thursday, May 2, Boston at Toronto, 8 pm
- Game 7: Saturday, May 4, Toronto at Boston, TBD*
*if necessary
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