The Toronto Maple Leafs (optional) and Edmonton Oilers skated at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
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After missing Sunday's practice, Jack Campbell was back on the ice at the morning skate, but will not start against the Oilers tonight.
"We've got to really be smart with how we manage Jack's workload here," head coach Sheldon Keefe explained. "The reality is that he hasn't been playing at 100 per cent and the games take a toll on him. The combination of the fact that he's not used to playing multiple games in a row and the fact that his body hasn't quite co-operated with him the way he'd like it to through this season, we've got to be really smart."
Campbell initially sustained a left leg injury on Jan. 24 in Calgary. He returned to the lineup on Feb. 27 in Edmonton posting a shutout, but also aggravating the issue and being forced to the sideline again.
Campbell has won three straight starts since returning to the lineup on March 20. However, he wasn't happy with his performance on Saturday despite improving to 6-0-0 on the season.
"He took the day [off] yesterday, because he wasn't feeling the best coming off of the game and I think he's feeling a little better today, and that's positive," Keefe said. "I just think us continuing to roll him out there when he's not 100 per cent is not smart. We've got to manage it.”
So, Michael Hutchinson will get his seventh start of the season. He posted a 31-save shutout in Edmonton on March 1, but has struggled in his past two starts. He was pulled after allowing two goals on three shots in his last outing on March 14 in Ottawa.
Keefe wasn't sure if Campbell would be available to dress as the backup goalie. The recently acquired Veini Vehviläinen, who has played just one NHL game with Columbus, will suit up for the first time if Campbell isn't available. The 24-year-old Finn has only skated twice with the team since emerging from a post-trade quarantine.
Frederik Andersen remained off the ice on Monday as the team awaits further clarity on his lower-body injury. He hasn't skated since March 19.
Mike Smith will start again for the Oilers.
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Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remained on the same line at the Oilers morning skate. Edmonton's dynamic duo had a hand in all three goals scored by the team in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss.
"It can seem like a two-on-two [rush] and all the sudden it's in the back of your net so that's the element they bring," said Leafs defenceman Justin Holl. "It's just a reminder that you have to be absolutely perfect against them."
It's a big challenge for the coach as well. In Saturday's game Keefe looked to get either the Auston Matthews line or the Pierre Engvall line out against Edmonton's big boys.
"It's harder to match against them when they're on separate lines," Keefe said. "When they're together, you can control the matchup a little bit better and they're also that much more dangerous when you make a mistake. Between the Matthews and Engvall line, we really tried to get that matchup going, but the difficulty is that they play so much. It has the ability to really disrupt your own flow. I actually felt some of that through the game where you're worried about that matchup and you lose your flow a little bit with your own bench. I've got to manage that here tonight. Certainly, there's that much more heightened awareness and narrowed focus when they're together."
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The Leafs were able to grab two points on Saturday, because the John Tavares line outscored Edmonton's second unit by two goals.
"We need to be able to contribute just like those [top-line] guys," said Kailer Yamamoto. "Maybe not as much, but we need to be able get in there and contribute points. It's definitely a challenge for me and I need to be better."
Yamamoto registered just one shot while playing 15 minutes and 50 seconds in his first game back from injury.
"It felt different, but it's game one. I got another one tonight so just trying to improve on it," Yamamoto said. "The biggest thing for me is the speed of the game and getting your timing back. It's a fast game and you have to react quick."
"Connor's line generated most of our chances," acknowledged coach Dave Tippett. "So, we'll look to tweak things a little bit to see if we can generate more."
Dominik Kahun projects to be a scratch while Kyle Turris took reps alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Yamamoto at the morning skate. Turris hasn't played since March 8. He recently spent time on the NHL's COVID protocol list.
"We'd like to get him back up and going," Tippett said. "He missed a week and that's hard on players. You take a week in the middle of the season where they can't skate, can't really do anything so it's taken him a few practices to get up and going. He works hard in practice. He's got unbelievable skill. You talk to our goaltenders about the best goal scorers on our team and his name comes up all the time."
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Joe Thornton started Saturday's game on the top line, but was dropped down to the fourth line with Alex Kerfoot and Jason Spezza. What's it like bouncing around the lineup?
"I love it," he said enthusiastically. "I love it. Just put me anywhere. It don't matter. I'm starting to feel good. I'm starting to feel comfortable. It doesn't matter where I play as long as we keep winning. That's all that matters."
Thornton was asked about the unlikely bond he's formed with 22-year-old defenceman Mac Hollowell, who has been on and off Toronto's taxi squad of late.
"He's just a super kid," the 41-year-old said. "He's a fun guy to be around. The guys like him being in the locker room. He just lightens things up. He's 20 years younger than me, but we have the same interests and it's kind of cool. He's teaching me a lot of things and I'm teaching him some things and it's a good friendship."
What are they teaching each other?
"He's got some different music than me," Thornton said. "I'm trying to teach him stuff about The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Def Leppard so we can teach each other lots of different things."
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With his sister Kia Nurse starring as part of TSN's basketball coverage, Darnell Nurse was asked if he's interested in being an analyst one day.
"It might intrigue me," the Oilers defenceman said with a smile. "Seeing her do it and how well she's been doing it for TSN, for me, that's a lot of pressure to step in behind that. I don't know if I have the confidence to hop in behind Kia, because she's been doing such a great job. It's been fun to watch. I know she did the Raptors game with the first all-female broadcast last week and, I mean, she can do it all. Not just an analyst in between games, but also during the game, so it's so cool to see her do it. So, like I said, it might be a little too much pressure."
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Projected Leafs lineup based on Sunday's practice:
F
Hyman - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Tavares - Nylander
Mikheyev - Engvall - Simmonds
Thornton - Kerfoot - Spezza
D
Rielly - Brodie
Muzzin - Holl
Dermott - Bogosian
Projected Oilers lineup based on Monday’s skate:
F
Draisaitl - McDavid - Puljujarvi
Turris - Nugent-Hopkins - Yamamoto
Shore - Khaira - Archibald
Ennis - Haas - Kassian
D
Nurse - Barrie
Lagesson - Larsson
Russell - Bear
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2021-03-29 20:22:02Z
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