With the Maple Leafs taking to the road for two mid-week contests in Arizona and Colorado, the club has bolstered their roster by recalling center Sam Carrick and defenseman Stuart Percy on Monday
The 22-year-old Carrick played well in limited ice time (4:15 TOI) in his NHL debut vs Chicago on Saturday, but was returned to the Leafs AHL affiliate following the game.
Percy made his AHL season debut in a 3-1 victory over Rochester after being sent down to make room for Carrick on Saturday morning. The 21-year-old Oakville, ON native was demoted and recalled twice in one week and that will likely continue throughout the season, since the blueliner is exempt from having to clear waivers and will be needed as an extra defenseman whenever the Leafs are far away from their AHL affiliate. The Marlies embark on the first leg of eight straight on the road with games vs Texas, San Antonio and Oklahoma City starting Wednesday.
Per Kyle Cicerella of Canadian Press, 2011 first rounder Tyler Biggs has been recalled by the Marlies from Orlando Solar Bears. The 21-year-old winger was sent to the Leafs ECHL affiliate on October 12 to get regular ice time and has tallied four goals and two assists in eight games.
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Leafs coach Randy Carlyle is in an enviable position with both his goaltenders playing well. James Reimer earned the first star on Saturday with a stellar 45 save effort against the Hawks and Jonathan Bernier followed a 10-save shutout against Buffalo with a strong 28 save performance in a 4-1 win in Columbus Friday night.
With four games in six days, it is likely that both netminders will split the games. Bernier has a 3-0-0 career record vs. Arizona, with a 1.15 GAA and .967 save percentage and made 39 saves in a 4-2 Leafs victory in Glendale last January. Reimer is 3-0-1 lifetime against Colorado, including a 3-2 overtime win on October 14 and 35 saves in a 5-2 victory in Denver on January 21.
The tandem will also likely split the weekend games vs. New York and Ottawa, with Reimer getting the back end of the back-to-back against the Sens on Sunday, with his dominant career numbers (9-2-1 record, 1.98 GAA, .944 save %) against the Sens.
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Winger Joffrey Lupul is expected be out three weeks with a hand injury suffered in practice last Thursday. The veteran forward has been placed on injured reserve, but may not be out long enough to qualify for placement on LTIR, thus giving the Leafs significant cap relief from his $5.25 Million salary.
Since being acquired from Anaheim in February 2011, the 31-year-old has missed games on seven separate occasions due to injury:
March 2012 – Separated Shoulder – 16 games January 2013 – Broken Forearm – 25 games April 2013 – Concussion – 5 games October 2013 – Bruised foot – 2 games November 2013 – Strained Groin – 7 games April 2014 – Knee – 4 games November 2014 – Broken Hand - ?? games
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Oops
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— Kevin McGran (@kevin_mcgran) November 1, 2014*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
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