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COVID lineup juggling nearing it's end; Leafs vs. Blues

January 15, 2022, 2:18 PM ET [239 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs get back into action, as they complete the western leg of their six-game road swing against the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center on Saturday. The Leafs have gone 1-1-1 in their previous three games, losing 5-4 to Colorado in overtime, winning 4-3 over Vegas in a shootout on Tuesday and falling 2-1 to the last place Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday.

The Blues have 49 points and are in a race for top spot in the Central, tied for second with the Avalanche and have won their last three games. Jordan Binnington is expected to get the start for St. Louis, while All-Star selection Jack Campbell will be in goal for Toronto.

The Leafs will make a number of changes to their lineup due to three players falling victim to the Omicron variant and two players returning. Forwards Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie, and defenseman Justin Holl were placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list on Friday, while wingers Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall joined the club for practice in Scottsdale, AZ. Both will be in the lineup in St. Louis, as will defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who had 10 hits in the victory over the Golden Knights but was forced to sit due to salary cap limitations against the Coyotes.

Toronto held an optional skate on Saturday morning, but based on the line combinations and defensive pairings used in Scottsdale, Marner will replace Kase on the top line with Michael Bunting and Anston Matthews and on the first power play unit, Engvall will slide in beside Ilya Mikheyev and David Kampf, and Wayne Simmonds will move down to the fourth line with ex-Blue Kyle Clifford and Jason Spezza.

With Holl out for at least the next five days, his absence will provide another opportunity to Timothy Liljegren, who played well in his previous stint alongside veteran Jake Muzzin. Sandin will partner with Travis Dermott on the bottom pairing and replace Muzzin as the quarterback on the second power play.

Through last month and up to the recent group of positives, the number of players who have tested positive is up to 20.

Alex Kerfoot, John Tavares, Jason Spezza, Wayne Simmonds, David Kämpf, Ilya Mikheyev, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Pierre Engvall, Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase (11)

Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott, Timothy Liljegren (7)

Jack Campbell
Petr Mrázek (2)


The only players who have not been on the list so far are forwards Auston Matthews, Michael Bunting and Kyle Clifford. This could be interpreted as good news, as it means that Toronto has gone through the worst of the recent spike and will have an advantage over teams they face who could be shorthanded.

Following the game, Toronto will return home with a three-day break before their next game on Wednesday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

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