The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman has struggled through his first 13 games of the season. Head coach Sheldon Keefe says the player is injured and working through some things. Five days after taking a puck to the face against the Florida Panthers, Mitch Marner has shed the fishbowl. According to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan [https://x.com/koshtorontosun/status/1731361532716392860?s=20], Marner skated at Toronto Maple Leafs practice on Sunday without the fishbowl helmet. The Maple Leafs forward was forced to wear a full face covering after taking a point shot to the face on Tuesday night against Florida. The 26-year-old said that he required 12 stitches following the incident, but he did return for the second and third periods wearing a cage. "I didn't really know at first," said Marner of whether he thought he broke his jaw on the shot. "When it hit me, it kind of just went numb my whole right side of my chin. "The first thing I did was feel down for blood or anything like that because I couldn't tell. And then when I looked at Paul (Ayotte), our physio, he just pointed to right to the locker room. I felt blood, I knew I needed stitches. I started trying to clench my teeth and luckily enough I still could." Marner tried out two different types of helmets during Thursday's morning skate. Later that night, the 26-year-old said that the "fishbowl just felt the best out of all of them." In Marner's first game wearing the fishbowl, on Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken, he scored the second hat trick of his career and also had one of Toronto's goals in the shootout, which helped them win the game. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ8to1PfW9Y[/embed] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Since being held pointless in three straight games from Nov. 24-30, Marner has four points (three goals, one assist) in the last two games, against Seattle and the Boston Bruins. Related 'It Just Seems Fitting For Him To Get That Role': Why Former Maple Leafs Forward Rich Clune was the 'Natural Fit' to be an Assistant Coach with the Toronto Marlies [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/it-just-seems-fitting-for-him-to-get-that-role-why-former-maple-leafs-forward-rich-clune-was-the-natural-fit-to-be-an-assistant-coach-with-the-toronto-marlies] 'That Sh*t's Irrelevant When You Don't Win': Max Domi Downplays Significance of First Maple Leafs Goal Following Loss to Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/that-sh-ts-irrelevant-when-you-dont-win-max-domi-downplays-significance-of-first-maple-leafs-goal-following-loss-to-bruins] Report: Maple Leafs Continue to Pursue Flames' Chris Tanev, More Learned About Failed Trade to Acquire Him And Nikita Zadorov [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/report-maple-leafs-continue-to-pursue-flames-chris-tanev-more-learned-about-failed-trade-to-acquire-him-and-nikita-zadorov] News from THN.com Zeev Buium May Be the 2024 NHL Draft's Unheard-Of Top Defenseman [https://thehockeynews.com/news/zeev-buium-may-be-the-2024-nhl-drafts-unheard-of-top-defenseman] Reacting to John Tortorella's Thoughts on Today's State of Big Hits in the NHL [https://thehockeynews.com/news/reacting-to-john-tortorellas-thoughts-on-todays-state-of-big-hits-in-the-nhl] THN Archive: NHL Dealt With Epidemic of Stomach Woes in the 1980s [https://thehockeynews.com/news/thn-archive-nhl-dealt-with-epidemic-of-stomach-woes-in-the-1980s]
