Marner to miss Leafs' road trip as he continues to recover from ankle injury

The Maple Leafs practiced at the Ford Performance Centre on Monday before flying to Philadelphia. 

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Mitch Marner did not take the ice on Monday as he continues to recover from a high ankle sprain. 

"It just hasn't been responding the way that they had hoped," coach Sheldon Keefe revealed, "so just stepping back a little bit with it."

Marner, who sustained the injury during a game in Boston on March 7, skated on his own twice last week. 

"In all likelihood, it is a minor injury, but we want to be respectful of it," general manager Brad Treliving told TSN's Gino Reda. "We have some time now. Mitch has been off the ice in the last couple of days, but we will ramp him up this week and take it day by day to see how he is feeling. Hopefully, he will be back sooner than later."

Marner has already missed three games and will not accompany the team on a two-game trip this week through Philadelphia and Washington.  

"Trying to get him to the point that he's comfortable throughout the week," Keefe said. "He's day-to-day away from being day-to-day."

Marner missed three and a half weeks when he sustained a high ankle sprain during the 2019-20 season. When he returned to the lineup, the winger caught fire producing 17 points in nine games. 

"For someone like Mitch, specifically, who hasn't had really any time off, you know, in the long run for him some time away, as much as we miss him and all that, I think it will be beneficial to him when he does get back," said Keefe. 

Marner is averaging 21 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time per game to lead all Leafs forwards this season. 

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Without his longtime running mate out, centre Auston Matthews has produced one goal and one assist in the last three games. The NHL goals leader is currently lining up between Tyler Bertuzzi and Pontus Holmberg. 

"There's more pucks available for Auston to be the driver and to be the facilitator for others," Keefe pointed out. 

Matthews has spent most of his career on a line with either Marner or William Nylander. Nylander played on the top line on March 9 in Montreal, the first game Marner missed, but it didn't go well and he was moved back to the second line for the next game. 

Bertuzzi is in his first season with the Leafs and only got a brief look beside Matthews at the start of the year before being moved to the second line. Holmberg made his NHL debut last season and has only played with Matthews sporadically. 

"It's about finding the chemistry with those guys, to have them know when he's available," Keefe said. "Probably talking and communicating more, there's less of that sense that someone like Mitch has of where Auston is and where to find him and the vision and such."

Matthews is an elite goal scorer, who is having one of the best goal-scoring seasons in recent memory. Despite a recent dry spell (three goals in 10 games), Matthews remains on pace for 69 goals. 

"He thinks the game in a really unique way in terms of scoring goals," said Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, who has remained close with Matthews since leaving the Leafs via free agency following the 2020-21 season. "He's very smart, puts himself in really good positions to get good shots off, and he has a good plan of knowing where to shoot before he even gets the puck. I don't think there's anyone who does it as good as him. It's pretty special to see."

Matthews was not available to the media following Monday's practice. 

It's not always easy to slide in and play beside someone as talented as Matthews. Holmberg struggled on Saturday and saw Bobby McMann steal some shifts on the top line as the game progressed. But Holmberg was back in that top-line spot at Monday's practice. 

"It wasn't as good against Carolina," acknowledged Keefe. "But really liked how those guys played [in Philadelphia]. Holmberg, in particular, had a really strong game so you want to stay with it."

Holmberg scored a goal, his fourth in 38 games, last week against the Flyers. Later in the game, after Calle Jarnkrok left with a hand injury, the 24-year-old Swede moved up to the top line and set up a Matthews goal. 

"I think that he makes great plays," defenceman Morgan Rielly said of Holmberg. "He's got great poise, great vision, so when he's out there with the puck he's often doing something good with it. I think he's done a great job for us."

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Matthews has gone a season high 11 games without a power-play goal. But it's not just him. The entire team has gone cold of late on the man advantage. 

"We're just not as crisp as we usually are," said centre John Tavares after an 0/4 night against Carolina. "It just seems like our passes might not be in the right spot or just a little bit on edge even. Fanning on some shots, getting some stuff blocked as we're trying to get it to the net, and whether that's just double clutching a little bit or just tying to make the right read, we just got to be a little bit quicker and a little more crisp."

The Leafs are 1/24 on the power play in their last nine games. They rank dead last in power-play percentage (4.2) since Feb. 26.

"I didn't know it's only been one in nine," said Rielly. "I think if you look at the last two games, I thought we moved it around pretty well and we've gotten chances and just hasn't gone for us ... We don't have to worry about changing anything. Just keep with the program and it's going to go eventually." 

But the team continues to make changes. 

The Leafs experimented with a two-defencemen look on the top unit on Saturday as Timothy Liljegren joined Rielly and other regulars Tavares, Nylander and Matthews. At Monday's practice, Bertuzzi got a look as the net-front presence on that unit. He'll work down low in the zone with Tavares, who often starts in the bumper. 

"Those two guys are hungry, going to be consistent on the inside, around the net," Keefe said. 

Liljegren, a righty, remained with the top unit. Rielly, a lefty, moved to the second unit. 

"We think it's important, with Auston and Willy's ability to shoot and finish, having another right shot," said Keefe. 

The Leafs power play clicked at 47.1 per cent when Liljegren took over as quarterback on the top unit for five games during Rielly's suspension last month. 

"Obviously you play with elite players, so my focus was just to give them the puck, make good passes, clean passes, and take the shot when I have it," Liljegren said. 

The Leafs generally move around at lot and switch spots on the power play and Marner, who leads the team in primary assists on the power play, sometimes ends up high in the zone where the defenceman usually plays.  

But even with Rielly up top, the Leafs looked good on the power play for most of February. In fact, Toronto led the league with a 50 per cent success rate last month. 

"We were on a heater," Nylander stressed. "I mean, had 50 per cent for a while. You're going to get some and you're going to not get some, so it's whatever."

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The Hurricanes scored twice on the power play during Saturday's comeback win. The absence of Marner and Jarnkrok is a factor right now. And it didn't help when David Kampf, who is a top-unit killer, got called for hooking late in the game. 

"We played a good game — a good enough game to get two points — but weren't able to get those kills," Keefe said. "The results look bad. They scored the one at 6-on-4, and our best penalty killer was sitting in the penalty box. The other two are in a suit. That is a tough one to get through, but you have to find a way."

Keefe actually liked how his team held up, for the most part, against Carolina's fourth-ranked power play. 

"The results look bad, but if we watch it back in terms of the process, there are going to be a lot of good things in there that we will like," the coach said. 

The team is still getting forward Connor Dewar and defenceman Joel Edmundson up to speed. The pair of trade pick-ups have been on the ice for a team high three goals in three games while penalty killing. 

Nylander and Matthews did a penalty-kill rep together during Monday's practice while Edmundson slotted in beside Jake McCabe. 

"I don't really know," Nylander said when asked why the penalty kill is struggling. "I haven't really been PKing that much, starting this season, so I think we're working on it. We're skating and just some small chances they get to score. We can tidy that up."  

Oftentimes the goalie has to be the best penalty killer. 

"Sorry, it's not my business," said Ilya Samsonov when asked about the shorthanded struggles. "I just need to stop the puck. Maybe I need to stop the puck better."

The Leafs rank 24th in penalty-kill percentage (76.8), which is lowest among the teams currently holding an Eastern Conference playoff spot. 

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Samsonov made a third straight start on Saturday despite leaving the morning skate in pain. 

"Puck goes to the bad zone," he said. "Bad zone, yeah, bad zone. That's it."

Joseph Woll cut his morning workout short on Saturday in order to be ready in case Samsonov couldn't play. 

"I came in the treatment room and he was doing alright so that was good," said Woll. "My first thought was I was worried for him, of course."

It didn't look good as Samsonov tossed his stick away in disgust as he left the ice. Every goalie can relate to what he was dealing with. 

"The problem is you never know how bad it is, because at first it feels like it's bad, but then it settles down," Woll noted. "I'm happy his settled down a bit, but, yeah, some of those are not fun, a little scary."

Goalies wear a lot of equipment, but there are still smalls spots without protection or with only minimal protection.  

"Like, the neck's no good," Woll said. "You get hit in the knee and sometimes the ribs and stuff. For the amount of equipment we wear, it's insane that we still get hit in spots that hurt, but (smile) there's definitely spots that hurt."

Woll hasn't played since allowing four goals on 25 shots during a loss in Boston on March 7. 

"I'm really excited to get a chance to get back in the net," he said. "I feel like this past week and a half or so has been good for me for a couple things. Learning how to be a good teammate when I'm not playing and support the team, and also given me time to step back and reset and focus on some stuff."

Woll has only played three games with the Leafs since suffering a high ankle sprain on Dec. 7. His focus is simple and straightforward at the moment. 

"You know, truthfully, just getting back into playing," the 25-year-old said. "It's easy to try and force things when you've been off for a bit and sometimes the answer is just letting go a little bit."

Samsonov was the first goalie off the ice at practice and it looks like he'll start again on Tuesday in Philadelphia. He beat the Flyers last week and is 11-1-0 against Philadelphia in his career. He has more wins against the Flyers than any other opponent. 

Woll is in line to play the Capitals on Wednesday. He won in Washington on Oct. 24 when Alex Ovechkin peppered him with 14 shots and scored once. 

"Playing teams for the first time in my career is always exciting especially when it's someone like Ovechkin," Woll recalled. "There's a lot of excitement for me going into it. He shoots the puck a lot is what I learned from that game (smile) so be ready for it." 

The Leafs also play on consecutive days on the weekend – Saturday at home against Edmonton and Sunday in Raleigh against the Hurricanes – so Woll will get a pair of starts this week. 

"The good news is that we have two goalies who are really capable," Treliving told Reda. "Interesting situations for both. We know the season Ilya has had. The way he has bounced back and played recently gives us great confidence in him. And we know what Joe is capable of. Joe has gone through an injury and come back from it. Now, it is just a matter of him getting into the net. You try to balance both of those things with the fact that these are really important games. The points are important."

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Ilya Lyubushkin missed practice on Monday and did not travel with the team to Philadelphia. The defenceman is doubtful to play against the Flyers. 

Simon Benoit is set to draw in after sitting as a healthy scratch in three straight games since the acquisition of Edmundson. 

"I'm excited," Benoit said. "I play the game because I love the game, so getting back in the lineup, it's just exciting." 

Benoit is among the feel-good stories on the Leafs this year. He cleared waivers and started the season in the American Hockey League before getting called up amid a flurry of injuries and carving out a regular role. 

But Keefe points out Benoit's play had dipped of late. 

"I'd expect it to be a little bit better, quite honestly, just because he's just now stepped back from the lineup and watched and that's motivating in itself," Keefe said. "The league is hard when you're playing all the time, and when you get a chance to step back and recharge and reenergize, you know, when you come back into the lineup you expect to have a little bit more."

Benoit acknowledges the internal competition for playing time is positive.

"It keeps everybody on edge," he said. "It brings the best of us in practice, games, it just makes the team better."

Benoit reunited with McCabe at practice on Monday. McCabe had been playing with T.J. Brodie. 

Rielly, who had been with Lyubushkin, reunited with Brodie, who shifted back to the right side. 

"We all feel good playing with each other and I think that's important," Rielly stressed. "Here, down the stretch, and in the playoffs, you don't know what might happen so you got to be ready to mix it up and play with different people, so it's a good chance for us to do that." 

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Keefe predicted Nick Robertson would provide a spark in his first game since Feb. 29 and, sure enough, the winger scored a goal on Saturday night. 

"I don't know how many games that is now where he has come back in and scored right away," said Keefe. "He gives us that sort of boost. He worked hard. It was a great goal."

On three occasions this season, Robertson has returned from a healthy scratch and scored.

"I felt pretty good," said Robertson, who logged 11 minutes and eight seconds against the Hurricanes. "The first period, definitely rusty in some plays, just trying to get touches back in and keep it as simple as possible. Obviously, the goal helps your confidence."

Robertson had fanned on a great power play chance in the first period.

"Obviously haven't played in a bit and you're just like, 'Oh, Grade A chance right in front of the net,'" Robertson recalled. "Kind of stunned me."

Tavares made a great play to set up Robertson in the second period and the 22-year-old made no mistake. 

"Terrific effort by Tavares to lead to it," said Keefe. "Great shot by Robby to finish it."

"Johnny's just so strong on the puck," said Robertson. "He makes little, nifty plays. I think over time, as I play with them, you get more chemistry with guys, anyone in the lineup, you get more reps, more practices, more games, I don't know, you just kind of feel their style and you kind of adapt to it. I'm happy to play with Johnny and hopefully we can get even more chemistry."

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Lines at Monday's practice: 

Bertuzzi - Matthews - Holmberg 
McMann - Domi - Nylander 
Knies - Tavares - Robertson 
Dewar - Kampf - Reaves
Gregor 

Rielly - Brodie 
Benoit - McCabe 
Edmundson - Liljegren 
Giordano - Timmins 

Samsonov 
Woll
Jones 

Power play units at Monday's practice: 

QB: Liljegren
Flanks: Matthews, Nylander
Bumper: Tavares
Net front: Bertuzzi 

QB: Rielly 
Flanks: Domi, Robertson
Bumper: McMann 
Net front: Knies