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The Toronto Maple Leafs have no choice other than to shake things up trailing the Florida Panthers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series and facing elimination in Game 4 in Sunrise, FL on Wednesday.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated on Tuesday that goalie Ilya Samsonov would not be available and is day-to-day after being injured early in Game 3 after colliding with Luke Schenn, and that rookie Joseph Woll will get the start over a reportedly healthy Matt Murray.
“Joe will go. As I have been maintaining here, we have lots of confidence in him.… Keefe said. “We are excited for him to have that opportunity.…
Murray served as the emergency backup and dressed after Samsonov’s injury, but Keefe said he did not consider playing the two-time Cup winner in a potential elimination game, likely because he has not seen game action in more than five weeks.
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— LadiesTalkinLeafs (@LTL1917) May 10, 2023
In this episode we talk #Leafs / #Panthers with our LTL Insider Mike Augello. Hopefully this isn’t our final playoff episode🤞
Go Leafs Go! #LTL1917
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Based on the changes made at practice on Tuesday, the Leafs appear to be mixing up their top three lines and two of their three defensive pairings. Calle Jarnkrok slotted in on the left side of the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, Alex Kerfoot was moved into a familiar position with John Tavares and William Nylander, and Michael Bunting shifted to the third line with Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari.
The only blueline pairing that remained intact is Morgan Rielly and Luke Schenn. The pairing of TJ Brodie and Jake McCabe has been split up, with Brodie playing the left side with Justin Holl, and McCabe alongside Timothy Liljegren. Veteran Mark Giordano skated on the extra pairing with Erik Gustafsson, which is a sign that the 39-year-old will sit his first playoff game.
"They've made a lot of good decisions, but you reach a point where you have to show results."@FriedgeHNIC breaks down the stakes for the #LeafsForever core's future in Game 4 against #TimeToHunt with @JeffMarek.
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) May 10, 2023
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