MONTREAL — Overshadowing the players who will be added to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup in Montreal Saturday is the one player who will be subtracted: Mitchell Marner.
The club's top-line right wing is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered during Thursday's loss in Boston.
Circling the Bruins' net in the second period, Marner spun and shot from an awkward angle, twisting his right leg in the process.
Though visibly in pain the bench, Marner completed the game. His injury will be assessed further Sunday in Toronto.
"There's big minutes there that need to be filled. But we've been through this before, and Mitch has missed games before," coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday at Bell Centre, ahead of the team's game against the Montreal Canadiens.
"So, we'll move things around here today to compensate for some of that, but we've been through it before. Guys will step up."
Marner starts on both special teams, leads all Toronto forwards in ice time (21:20), and paces the club in assists (51). This will be his first missed game of the season.
"Everyone has an important role on this team. Obviously, he's a leader on our team and plays heavy minutes and the kind of guy you play in any situation," Matthew Knies said.
"Big hole to fill, but hopefully he gets healthier soon and he can come back. I mean, it's just another challenge for our depth guys — and, honestly, everyone — to step up and just play their role to win us this hockey game."
Keefe had been contemplating giving Tyler Bertuzzi another crack to the left of No. 1 centre Auston Matthews for weeks, so when Knies left Thursday's game due to a blow to the head, the coach was quick to promote Bertuzzi.
With Marner out and new trade acquisition Connor Dewar in, Keefe will roll with four entirely fresh lines Saturday.
Bertuzzi sticks with Matthews. Knies drops to the third line. Dewar centres Ryan Reaves because those two played together in Minnesota last season. And Max Domi shifts from centre to wing because Keefe is concerned about a lack of offensive skill on the flanks.
All this shuffling and juggling opens more opportunity for Bertuzzi, who is in his most productive stretch as a Leaf (seven points in eight games) and dropped the gloves in Boston against his former team.
"Bert's playing really well. I thought he was real [good], not just because of his fight but just how he competed the entire game out in Boston," Keefe said.
"That's the kind of the guy I believe is going to be there in those types of moments. And he showed that. His game has just been coming along very well."
One-Timers: Matthew Knies, who suffered a concussion last year, left Thursday's loss in Boston for precautionary reasons after taking a surprise hit to the head from Brad Marchand. "Pretty big collision there," Knies says. "Back to 100 per cent."... All-Sammy goalie duel: Ilya Samsonov vs. Sam Montembeault.... Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, and Noah Gregor are Toronto's scratches... Trade acquisitions Dewar and Joel Edmundson will make their Maple Leafs debut.... Morgan Rielly, 30, and Pontus Hölmberg, 25, are celebrating birthdays with a hockey match.
Maple Leafs projected lines Saturday vs. Montreal Canadiens
Bertuzzi – Matthews – Nylander
Domi – Tavares – Järnkrok
Knies – Kämpf – McMann
Hölmberg – Dewar – Reaves
Brodie – McCabe
Rielly – Lyubushkin
Edmundson – Liljegren
Samsonov starts
Woll
3:44
3:04
2:55
1:48
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