Jets at Maple Leafs Preview and Game Chat: help is on the way

Winnipeg Jets @ Toronto Maple Leafs: Game #67
7:00 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena
TV/Streaming: TSN4
Opponent’s SB Nation Site: Arctic Ice Hockey

After a convincing win over the Boston Bruins where two more players fell to injury, the Leafs will soon be getting some help with players getting more healthy. Until then, welcome back Michael Hutchinson and your Marlies friends!

Petr Mrázek is out for the season with a groin injury, leaving Erik Källgren back in charge of the Leafs net with Hutchinson his backup. Meanwhile Ilya Lyubushkin is out with a head injury, putting Carl Dahlström into the lineup alongside Timothy Liljegren on the third pair. Jake Muzzin is still out, but is joining the team on their road trip. His return is imminent. Rasmus Sandin won’t be.

Only Ondřej Kaše is out (placed on LTIR) at forward so the forward group is pretty much intact. The Leafs have rotated their fourth liners, so Wayne Simmonds is in and Colin Blackwell (who scored on Tuesday) is out. Nick Abruzzese is still not yet prepared to play, but I wonder if he’ll come in the lineup on Saturday night.

Quotes from morning skate:

Simmonds on teams relishing wins v Leafs:

"I’m not trying to be arrogant or cocky, but I feel like Toronto is kind of universally known as the centre of the hockey world. I know when I used to play against the Leafs, I’d want to crush’em every single time. I know that feeling"

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 31, 2022

Keefe on Clifford, Spezza & Simmonds:

"All three of them, to me, have to continue to get better. Blackwell’s come in & done a great job for us & he’s got a leg up on them. Those are veteran guys that we respect greatly & we want them to continue to find their game."

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 31, 2022

Sheldon Keefe on Jack Campbell: "He’s actually cleared medically at this point, it’s just a matter of him feeling good & ready to play in a game. It’s been a while since we’ve had a full practice as a team so he isn’t going to play tonight."@TSN_Edge

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 31, 2022

Sheldon Keefe says Jake Muzzin is “getting close” and it looks like the d-man will accompany the Leafs on the upcoming road trip

He’s been sidelined with a concussion since Feb. 21 @TSN_Edge

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 31, 2022

Leafs Lineup

Forwards
Michael Bunting - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Ilya Mikheyev - John Tavares - Alexander Kerfoot
Pierre Engvall - David Kämpf - William Nylander
Kyle Clifford - Jason Spezza - Wayne Simmonds
OUT: Colin Blackwell (scratched), Nick Abruzzese (scratched), Ondřej Kaše (head)

Defense
Morgan Rielly - TJ Brodie
Mark Giordano - Justin Holl
Carl Dahlström - Timothy Liljegren
OUT: Filip Kral (scratched), Mac Hollowell (scratched), Jake Muzzin (concussion), Rasmus Sandin (knee), Ilya Lyubushkin (head)

Goalies
Erik Källgren - confirmed starter
Michael Hutchinson
OUT: Jack Campbell (ribs), Petr Mrázek (groin)

Adam Brooks makes another return to Toronto on Winnipeg’s fourth line. The Jets have two players who recently tested positive for COVID-19, so please let this not be the start of another outbreak. Dominic Toninato is also a former Leafs pick, but he didn’t sign after finishing college, but has certainly made a career for himself as a fourth liner like Brooks.

Jets Lineup

Forwards
Paul Stastny - Mark Scheifele - Nikolaj Ehlers
Evgeny Svechnikov - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Blake Wheeler
Zach Sanford - Adam Lowry - Mason Appleton
Jansen Harkins - Dominic Toninato  Adam Brooks
OUT: Cole Perfetti (upper body), Morgan Barron (scratched), Kyle Connor (COVID)

Defense
Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
Logan Stanley - Brenden Dillon
Ville Heinola - Neal Pionk
OUT: Dylan Samberg (upper body), Nate Schmidt (COVID)

Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck - confirmed starter
Eric Comrie