With a win against the Panthers on Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs will tie Florida with 47 points in the Atlantic Division.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting one of their top defensemen back on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers.
Brandon Carlo, who hasn't played since Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Kings, will return to the Maple Leafs lineup, head coach Craig Berube confirmed on Tuesday morning. He's projected to line up alongside Morgan Rielly in his return after missing two and a half months.
"It's his first game back in a long time, so we've got to manage his game and his minutes," added Berube on Tuesday.
"But he's a guy that eats minutes, gets in the way, blocks shots, all that type of stuff. He's got a good stick. He's a good defensive defenseman, good around his net and penalty killer and things like that."
The defenseman thwarted a shot against the Kings and, as he was progressing afterwards, felt pain in his ankle, where he had a plate put in around eight years ago. He was approaching a return, but suffered a setback.
"Things just weren't feeling good around that plate," he said, "so I went in, cleaned it up (had surgery), and I've just been progressing."
Carlo underwent surgery on Dec. 3 and has been working his way back ever since. He's been out for Toronto's last 20 games.
"Obviously, it's great to be around the guys again, just getting out in practice, having fun here and within the room," said Carlo on Monday afternoon. "Those are the things you definitely miss, but overall on the ice, I've had some really good progression steps and feeling good."
'Just A Weird Situation': Maple Leafs' Brandon Carlo Opens Up About Injury That Forced Him To Miss Nearly Two Months
Carlo revealed that, after blocking a shot, he got an infection in his ankle, where he's had a plate for eight years, which led to surgery.
Joseph Woll is the Maple Leafs' projected starting goaltender against the Panthers. This will be his fourth straight start for Toronto, dating back to Dec. 28 in Detroit. Through 15 games this season, Woll has eight wins and a .912 save percentage. Dennis Hildeby is set to back up.
William Nylander will miss his fifth straight game on Tuesday with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has been out since Dec. 27 against the Ottawa Senators. He has skated the last two days with Toronto's return-to-play staff, but Nylander isn't quite ready to return to game action yet.
"(Nylander is) day-to-day," Berube said on Monday. "He's getting better, but he's still not able to play."
Nylander sits atop the Maple Leafs' scoring list with 14 goals and 41 points in 33 games.
Anthony Stolarz was also on the ice before the Maple Leafs' morning skate on Tuesday. He's working his way back from an upper-body injury, which he suffered on Nov. 11 in Boston. This is now the second straight day we've seen him on the ice.
Despite being back on the ice, Stolarz remains out indefinitely, Berube said on Monday after practice.
The 31-year-old has appeared in just 13 games this season for Toronto, tallying six wins and a .884 save percentage in that span.
Maple Leafs' projected lineup against the Panthers:
Bobby McMann - Auston Matthews - Max Domi
Matthew Knies - John Tavares - Matias Maccelli
Nick Robertson - Nicolas Roy - Easton Cowan
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok
Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Philippe Myers
Joseph Woll (projected starter)
Dennis Hildeby