Thankfully, the Leafs, who have been banged up all season long, are about to get quite the boost, which should help them get back on track after losing games to Ottawa and Columbus last week.
Anthony Stolarz took part in a full Leafs practice on Tuesday and appears poised for a return over the next week or so, and he's not the only one expected back, as John Tavares and Matthew Knies are believed to have each turned a corner in their recovery.
Just how imminently will they return? Well when asked by reporters on Tuesday whether he believes that Knies and Tavares will play on the road trip, he only needed two words to give them a definitive answer.
On Tuesday, Pacioretty quipped about how it's good that the Leafe are getting this out of their system now in order to enter the playoffs as healthy as possible.
"Get 'em out of the way now. Everyone plays injured in the playoffs. The further you go, every player is injured. You want to feel as good as you can going in because you're going to feel terrible when you're in it. That's what I love about it."
The Leafs will play 4 road games ahead of the two week break for the upcoming 4 Nations Faceoff. Among the Leafs who are expected to take part in the event are Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Jani Hakanpaa.