Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly will be a healthy scratch on Thursday night when the team takes on the Florida Panthers.
Before the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe emphasized to reporters the importance of keeping players involved and not having them sit too long between games played.
"Rielly will rest tonight and that'll allow us to use the other seven guys and try them in some different spots. I just think it's important here, especially with a busy schedule," he said. "Rielly in particular has just come off playing five games in nine nights so I think having the depth and the health on defence allows us to do some different things at this portion of the schedule while also keeping a lot of guys involved.”
The team will run 11 forwards and seven defencemen with TJ Brodie and Luke Schenn slotting into the lineup.
Brodie and Schenn were not in the lineup in Toronto's 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders. Brodie was hurt blocking a shot against the Ottawa Senators.
Rielly, 29, has skated in 55 games this season, logging four goals and 36 points.
The Maple Leafs also announced Thursday that the team has recalled goaltender Joseph Woll on an emergency basis. The 29-year-old suffered a knee injury earlier in the season that forced him to miss 15 games.
Ilya Samsonov shared on his private Instagram that he and his wife had their first baby Thursday morning.
Woll has played in three games with Toronto this season, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.04 GAA and a .938 save percentage.
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