Leafs load up top line with Domi injured

While just two games remain in the regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have once again shuffled their lines.

With the team partaking in their last practice of the 2023-24 campaign on Monday, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe debuted some new formations amid a handful of absences.

As per TSN’s Mark Masters, forwards Max Domi and Bobby McMann were both absent from Toronto’s latest skate. Keefe later confirmed that both players would likely miss the next two games.

“He’s been dealing with something and he felt it was not going to affect him to play and I don’t think that was necessarily the case,” the coach said after the practice of Domi, who was hurt in Thursday’s loss to New Jersey.

Adapting to the change, centre Auston Matthews was reunited with winger Mitch Marner on the Leafs top trio alongside Tyler Bertuzzi.

Lines at last Leafs practice of regular season

Bertuzzi – Matthews – Marner
Knies – Tavares – Nylander
Robertson – Holmberg – Gregor
Dewar – Kampf – Reaves

Rielly – Lyubushkin
Benoit – McCabe
Edmundson – Liljegren
Giordano – Timmins
Brodie

Samsonov
Woll
Jones@TSN_Edge

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 15, 2024

Playing with Marner, who leads the Leafs in assists with 58 this season, can certainly increase Matthews’ chances of hitting the 70-goal marker before the year wraps up. With 69 so far, he’ll have (at least) six periods to hit the milestone.

The pair have not played together since Marner returned from injury in early April.

Other changes in the lineup include Matthew Knies‘s promotion to the second line, joining John Tavares and William Nylander.

Meanwhile, Joel Edmundson skated on Toronto’s third defensive pairing alongside Timothy Liljegren.

Forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has been out for several weeks with an injured hand, hit the ice before practice, later joining his teammates for special teams work.

The Leafs will take on the Florida Panthers on the road this Tuesday at 7:30 pm ET. With the way points in the Atlantic Divison the standings are tallying up, it looks like the two teams could also face off in Round 1 of the postseason.

You might also like:
• Leafs sign reigning German-league Player of the Year to NHL contract