Leafs announce some lineup changes ahead of game in Boston
Eliminated from the NCAA playoffs to start the weekend, signing an ELC with the Leafs Saturday to having a realistic shot to play on the fourth line for tonight's game versus the Bruins, it's been a whirlwind 4 days for Nick Abruzzese. During the morning skate, he was slotted on a line with Colin Blackwell and Jason Spezza in what would have been a more skillful fourth line than the ones the Leafs have used recently.
Not only is would it have been a chance to see how prepared Abruzzese is for the NHL, but it would also have given Spezza someone that matches his skill set. It seemed a bit surprising that the Leafs hadn't decided to go with a heavier and more physical 4th line given they are playing a heavy Bruins team in a battle for second in the Atlantic. Well, now we know that Abruzzese will not be making his NHL debut on Tuesday after all.
After taking rushes with Blackwell and Spezza, Abruzzese stayed out on the ice for some extra work on Tuesday, indicating that he would in fact be a healthy scratch in Boston. Whether that occurred because the Leafs didn't think he was ready based on what they saw during line rushes or whether they just preferred a bigger body in the lineup is unclear at this time. Abruzzese may yet make his debut this week, with games against the Jets and Flyers coming up on Thursday and Saturday.
As for tonight's game in Boston, it appears as though Kyle Clifford will slot in on the LW on the Leafs' 4th line, after being called up on an emergency basis on Monday evening.
Perhaps the most interesting lineup shift has William Nylander being demoted to line 3, playing with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall, while Ilya Mikheyev moves up to play alongside captain John Tavares and Alexander Kerfoot.
Additionally, after coming off of his best outing in months, Petr Mrazek will get his second straight start in the hopes that he can go on a bit of a streak and gain some confidence before Jack Campbell returns.
