Sheldon Keefe admits there are some big decisions to make ahead of Game 5
Following a disappointing 7-3 loss in Game 4 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs are back in Toronto to prepare for Game 5 tomorrow night. The one big question on everyone's minds is, what will the lines and defense pairings look like on Tuesday? Well, according to Sheldon Keefe during today's media availability, that has not quite been decided as of yet.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Justin Holl will come out of the lineup after an awful outing on Sunday in Game 4 in favour of rookie defenseman Timothy Liljegren, but Ilya Lyubushkin had arguably just as bad of an outing as Holl did, so perhaps he'll be the one to come out of the lineup.
Up front, I can't imagine that Michael Bunting will remain on the 4th line. The trio of Bunting-Matthews-Marner was one of the hottest lines in hockey this season, and with the home team having the last change, Keefe can better manage his matchups to give those three some favourable shifts to work their magic.
The fourth line may also see some changes with Tampa picking up the physical play again for Game 4. We could see one of Kyle Clifford or Wayne Simmonds come back in for Game 5. Perhaps even both. We'll know more tomorrow following the Leafs' optional skate.
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 460 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe admits there are some big decisions to make ahead of Game 5 If you're Sheldon Keefe and you can only make one move for Game 5, what would it be? | ||
| Liljegren in for one of Holl or Lyubushkin | 133 | 28.9 % |
| Bunting back up with Matthews and Marner | 160 | 34.8 % |
| Sandin in for one of Lyubushkin or Holl | 49 | 10.7 % |
| Clifford/Simmonds coming in | 118 | 25.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
