Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe says the change is made to keep Lafferty involved as the club will give the fourth line a different look.

Sam Lafferty will draw into the lineup for the first time since Game 5 of the opening round when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of their second-round series.

"He's got a lot of pace to his game and we think that can help," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of that move. "That's really it, to be honest."

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Lafferty skated in Toronto's first five playoff games on the right side of the team's fourth line. Seeking a change to the lineup after Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Keefe rested both Lafferty and Zach Aston-Reese while inserting Michael Bunting back into the lineup while also going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the first time in the postseason.

"We didn't intend to keep him out for the two games but that's just the way that it worked out," Keefe added. "Having Bunting back in the mix changes the dynamic of that line so the speed factor is one thing. Getting (Alex) Kerfoot back on the left side is one thing."

Aston-Reese returned to the lineup in Toronto's 4-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1, but will be a healthy scratch to make room for Lafferty.

Acquired in February from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade that also brought defenseman Jake McCabe to Toronto, Lafferty had bounced around the lineup before finding a comfortable spot on the wing of the fourth line. 

The 28-year-old has recorded one assist in five playoff games. He had two goals and four assists in 19 games with Toronto this season.

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