Montreal Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs: Game 5
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Scotiabank Arena
Channel: CBC, SN, NBCSN

On Wednesday. the Toronto Maple Leafs had an off day from the ice after a successful back-to-back. The players and staff were available to the media after some off-ice meetings and treatment, along with the first sighting of John Tavares since his terrifying injury. JT has been in constant contact with his players since the injury, giving them words of encouragement, directions of focus, and praise following each win. He spent the day “reacclimating with the group.”

Today, Tavares was on the ice doing some light skating and skill training well before practice was set to start. Nick Foligno joined him.

There’s a lot of talk about the timeline for Tavares’ return so soon after the injury.  We all want to make sure Tavares is complete recovery and take his time, and I’m sure some of the hesitancy to think of his return to the lineup comes from still trying to process what happened in the first place — surely he needs more time. It was a scary incident that definitely hasn’t left my mind, for sure. But there is a timeline developing, and him skating today doesn’t mean he’ll be playing next week.

Elliotte Friedman laid out his reporting on the situation in a tweet. As you can see, the Leafs incredible medical staff along with Tavares’ people (presumably starting with his family and agent) will be making sure he’s on the right track. If there’s one team that doesn’t rush their players back from injury too soon, it’s the Leafs.

Speaking of not rushing back too soon, Nick Foligno is still a game-time decision for the Leafs. On some other teams, he probably would’ve played in Game 4, but it was agreed upon that he would sit and make sure what was holding him back was properly dealt with.

William Nylander has done an amazing job stepping up in the absence of both Tavares and Foligno, running the show on the second line with revelation Alex Galchenyuk and Swiss Army Knife Alex Kerfoot. The three have developed quite the chemistry after a couple games together.

While it might be worth considering keeping this line together after Foligno comes back, I think there’s a case to be made that a line anchored by Nylander can probably play with anyone and the overall philosophy shouldn’t be compromised. With the Winnipeg Jets* on the horizon, the top-six might need a different arrangement to get the most out of them.

Against Montreal, so many Leafs have been really good there aren’t any wrong answers when it comes to the lineup. From Galchenyuk and Kerfoot stepping up into the top six, to Pierre Engvall anchoring the third line, to Adam Brooks making an impact on the fourth, things are going really well. Of course, it’ll all change if/when the Leafs meet the Jets*, a team that has different strengths and weaknesses, and a different approach to the game.

Toronto Maple Leafs

In terms of the lines, morning skate has revealed that Rasmus Sandin is back in the lineup, while Adam Brooks keeps his job on the fourth line.

Forwards
Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Alex Galchenyuk - Alex Kerfoot - William Nylander
Ilya Mikheyev - Pierre Engvall - Wayne Simmonds
Joe Thornton - Adam Brooks - Jason Spezza

Defence
Morgan Rielly - T.J. Brodie
Jake Muzzin - Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin - Zach Bogosian

Goalies
Jack Campbell
Frederik Andersen

Montreal Canadiens

Lines from last game.

Forwards
Tomas Tatar - Phillip Danault - Brendan Gallagher
Tyler Toffoli - Nick Suzuki - Cole Caufield
Paul Byron - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Josh Anderson
Joel Armia - Eric Staal - Corey Perry

Defence
Ben Chiarot - Shea Weber
Joel Edmundson - Jeff Petry
Brett Kulak - Jon Merrill

Goalies
Carey Price
Jake Allen

GO LEAFS GO

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