Maple Leafs' Marner misses practice after birth of first child
Published
Toronto Maple Leafs star winger Mitch Marner missed Sunday's practice after he and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed their first child, a baby boy, earlier in the morning.
Marner and the Leafs open their second round playoff series against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Monday night in Toronto.
The 27-year-old is coming off a career regular season, recording over 100 points for the first time with 27 goals and 75 assists across 81 games.
With Marner absent, Nick Robertson played on the top line alongside Matthew Knies and captain Auston Matthews at practice.
Sunday's Practice Lines - Mark Masters, TSN
F
Knies - Matthews - Robertson
Pacioretty - Tavares - Nylander
Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok
McMann - Domi - Holmberg
Kampf
D
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Carlo
Benoit - Ekman-Larsson
Mermis - Myers
Hakanpää
G
Stolarz
Woll
Hildeby
The Maple Leafs were victorious in the Battle of Ontario, beating the Ottawa Senators in six games with Marner contributing one goal and seven assists. Over 63 career playoff games, the native of Markham, Ont., has 12 goals and 46 assists.
Florida advanced to the second round after dispatching the rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
The Panthers eliminated the Leafs in five games in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the only time the two franchises have meet in the postseason. Despite winning the Atlantic Division, Toronto dropped three of four matchups against Florida this season.