Keefe shuffles up Leafs' forward lines once again on Western road swing
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going with a new look once again when it comes to their forward lines.
Ahead of Monday night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has announced a change to the team’s third line, with Zach Aston-Reese being replaced by Pierre Engvall.
“Sometimes you want to adjust to the type of game and opponent you’re going to be playing, but at the same time you want to reward people that have done a good job,” Keefe said after Sunday’s practice.
Engvall has suited up in five games for the Leafs this season, while Aston-Reese has suited up in six. Neither player has yet to register a point for Toronto.
“We’re just at the point where looking to get different guys involved and wanting to get Engvall back in. It’s going to be a different game than it was last night in terms of some of the challenges that Vegas presents,” Keefe added.
Meanwhile, Toronto is sticking with the fourth line of Kyle Clifford skating alongside David Kampf and Wayne Simmonds, which features two players (Clifford and Simmonds) who didn’t crack Toronto’s opening night roster.
On the backend, Victor Mete looks to feature in his third consecutive game, getting the nod after an injury put Jake Muzzin on long-term injured reserve.
Here’s how the Leafs’ lines look for tonight’s match, via Sports Illustrated‘s David Alter at Sunday’s practice.
Forwards
- Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
- Nick Robertson – John Tavares – William Nylander
- Pierre Engvall – Alex Kerfoot – Calle Jarnkrok
- Kyle Clifford – David Kampf – Wayne Simmonds
- Extra: Denis Malgin, Zach Aston-Reese, Nicolas Aube-Kubel
DefencemenÂ
- Morgan Rielly – TJ Brodie
- Rasmus Sandin – Justin Holl
- Mark Giordano – Victor Mete
Ilya Samsonov is expected to start for Toronto, with puck drop set for 10 pm ET. Tonight’s game will be broadcast on TSN.
- You might also like:
- Fans had no shortage of takes on the new Leafs "reverse retro" jersey