Viktor Loov and Nikita Soshnikov were both sitting out injured — Loov didn't even play in his entire callup this time around — so they must be back in playing form to be sent down.
Loov, who got into four games with the Leafs this year, had two secondary assists, shot the puck seven times, and had a good shot differential playing limited minutes with Frank Corrado and Martin Marincin most of the time.
His recent injury forced him to miss out on his chance to impress on the Leafs, and when he left the Marlies, they barely had enough healthy defenders to ice a full set, so ice-time was guaranteed. He comes back to a much different situation, where Ty Stanton on an ATO is looking very good, and the jousting for positions will be as serious as it is in August.
Soshnikov got into 11 games, had two goals and one primary assist for five total points, playing on the top line with Nazem Kadri most of the time. He shot the puck 53 times, and had an excellent shot differential — as you'd expect playing on the Leafs' best line.
Soshnikov's shot rate is third highest on the team for players with at least 10 games, behind only the top forwards, Kadri and James van Riemsdyk. He generated all the buzz he could want, both for his scoring and for his agitating.
He was called up from the fourth line on the Marlies where he'd spent the season on Freddie Gauthier's wing opposite Rich Clune. What will he come back to? If the defensive ranks are fuller, the forward group has ballooned to comical proportions. Colin Smith has been bounced off of centre to wing, making the depth chart even more complex.
Sheldon Keefe knows what he has in Soshnikov, so he might not play very much until the games matter, but expect him to be annoying and frustrating to the Marlies opponents for the entire playoffs.
Shots refers always to all shots, or Corsi For, either individual or team, and all numbers are all situations.
