Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano will be scratched for the second consecutive game. Head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed the defenseman is dealing with a minor injury.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano will be scratched for the second consecutive game. Head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed the defenseman is dealing with a minor injury.
NEW YORK — Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano will sit out for the second consecutive game when the club visits the New York Rangers in their final game of the regular season. But it appears there’s more to it than just load management.
“Gio’s got something minor, a minor injury that he’s dealing with,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Thursday. "We wanted to get him out on the ice to get a feel for it and it just made sense to give him the extra day."
The 39-year-old Giordano has been scratched for two other games this season, including the team's 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
Giordano last played on Monday in the team's 2-1 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers. He blocked two shots while logging 17:50 of ice time.
The defenseman took part in the team's final morning skate of the regular season. He stayed on the ice to do some more conditioning work, the first indication he'd be held of the lineup.
"He's not too far from being at 100 percent but he's not quite there," Keefe explained, who also said that Giordano was "banged up" when the defenseman sat out against the Lightning. "Giving him the extra time will serve him well, but he'll be 100 percent here soon."
It's notable that Keefe used the term injury to describe Giordano. With just one slot to rest a defenseman, it was initially believed that Jake McCabe would get a rest tonight since he was originally scheduled to against the Tampa Bay Lightning before an upper-body injury to Erik Gustafsson scuttled those plans.
Gustafsson was not on the ice for the team's morning skate.
In 78 games this season, Giordano has four goals and 20 assists while averaging 18:57 of ice time. Earlier in the season, the defenseman was asked to increase his workload as the club dealt with several regulars like Morgan Rielly and TJ Brodie out of the lineup due to various injuries.
John Tavares and Sam Lafferty to miss game for personal reasons
Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares and Sam Lafferty are back in Toronto as they both departed the team for personal reasons.
Lafferty revealed last month that he’s expecting to be a dad at some point between the end of the regular season and before the playoffs begin. The forward had been dealing with an undisclosed injury and missed the last two games, but Keefe said Lafferty is progressing and they expect him to be back on the ice when he rejoins the team.
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