maple leafs

Robertson recalled, Bunting on the mend, Muzzin returns; Leafs vs. Wings

Apr 26, 2022 • 11:55 am

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The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to lock up home-ice advantage in the first round, but their main focus is to have all hands on deck to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Leafs take on the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.

Michael Bunting is on the ice before the team’s scheduled morning skate in an hour. An undisclosed injury, but as you can see he’s working on that leg. pic.twitter.com/7CUYgFkV26
— David Alter (@dalter) April 26, 2022

Toronto snapped a two-game losing skid with a 4-3 shootout victory in Washington on Sunday and now have a magic number of one to host Tampa Bay or Boston, but on Tuesday a number of injured players appear to be ramping up towards being available early next week.

Forward Michael Bunting and goalie Petr Mrazek took to the ice before the main group to test out their leg injuries. Bunting left the 3-2 overtime loss to Florida on Saturday, but was feeling better on Sunday. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, the rookie winger will not play in the final two games, but is optimistic about his availability going forward.

"(Bunting) skated today, so that's a very positive sign.… Keefe said. “We'll reevaluate him from there, but things are looking positive.…

Mrazek was expected to miss a minimum of six weeks with a groin injury suffered in late March, but was taking shots well ahead of schedule.

Defensemen Jake Muzzin, Rasmus Sandin and forward Ondrej Kase were on the ice early and joined the main group for line rushes.

Muzzin will be in the lineup after missing six games with an undisclosed minor injury, and the Leafs head coach said that the veteran blueliner needs to get game reps to get himself up to speed and to gain the confidence that he's ready to go for the playoffs.

Sandin needs to be cleared by the club’s medical staff on Tuesday before resuming a full practice schedule, and could see some action before the playoffs if all goes well. Kase continues to be day-to-day, but there remains no timeline for his return.

The Leafs returned defenseman Carl Dahlstrom to the Toronto Marlies with Timothy Liljegren available after being rested on Sunday, and emergency recalled winger Nick Robertson from the AHL affiliate.

Alex Kerfoot will take Bunting’s place on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Robertson replaces Kerfoot on the right side with Ilya Mikheyev and John Tavares, William Nylander returns to the third line with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall, and Nick Abruzzese skated with Colin Blackwell and Wayne Simmonds.

Liljegren rejoined veteran Mark Giordano on the bottom pairing, with Muzzin partnering with TJ Brodie and Morgan Rielly alongside Ilya Lyubushkin.

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