The Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain skated as an extra and got through the whole practice, but will miss the game out of an abundance of caution.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain skated as an extra and got through the whole practice, but will miss the game out of an abundance of caution.
NEWARK, N.J. — The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their captain when the team visits the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
John Tavares stepped onto the ice at RWJ Barnabas Hockey House in Newark, New Jersey sporting an extra grey jersey, an unusual sight for the captain who got through the entire session with no issue.
But out of an abundance of caution, Tavares will be held out of the lineup due to "not feeling himself," according to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.
"[He] wanted to skate to see exactly where he’s at and got through it and feeling a little bit better than he thought," Keefe added."
Tavares was the recipient of two big hits during his team's 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The first (and biggest of the two) came early in the game when he was hit hard by Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers.
"I think you’re a little more mindful of it but there’s a lot more (to it). There’s a bug going around. We’ve been traveling a lot. There’s lots happening there that again we just want to be sure," Keefe said. "I think moreso on our side of it, we wanted to be cautious on this one. As long as he continues to progress he’ll be ready to go for Saturday."
Tavares scored Toronto's only goal in their game against the Canucks on the weekend. He spoke with reporters after the game and said he felt "good" following the pair of hits.
Lafferty moves up, new look
With Tavares out and Ryan O'Reilly out until Mar. 29 with a broken finger, the Maple Leafs trotted out a new look ahead of their game against the Devils on Tuesday. Sam Lafferty was moved up to play center with Calle Jarnkrok and William Nylander on their wing. Zach Aston-Reese is set to return and skated on a line with David Kampf and Noel Acciari, while Michael Bunting skated with call-ups Pontus Holmberg and Alex Steeves.
Acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks along with defenseman Jake McCabe last week, the Leafs are counting on Lafferty's mobility to match up well with his new linemates.
"I just try to use my speed to get pucks back into those guys and go to the net," Lafferty said. "Just keep it pretty simple."
Lafferty has averaged 13:08 of ice time over three games with Toronto this season.