Keefe calls Nylander a possibility for Game 1; Brodie projects as a scratch
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Maple Leafs forward William Nylander was absent from the team's practice Friday, one day before Toronto is scheduled to play Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe declined to say what kept Nylander sidelined, calling it a possibility he plays Game 1. He added, however, that general manager Brad Treliving has instructed the team to keep injury news close to the vest.
"Nylander and Bobby McMann both stayed off the ice today, but both are possibilities for tomorrow. That’s it," Keefe said. "[Treliving’s] made it pretty clear there’s not going to be any daily injury updates or anything like that."
Nylander played 17:29 in Toronto's regular-season finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, tallying one assist. He played 17:15 the night before against the Florida Panthers.
The 27-year-old Swede finished with 40 goals for the second straight season, adding 58 assists for 98 points. Forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has been sidelined with a hand injury, took Nylander's spot on a line with Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson and also filled his spot on the first power-play line.
Meanwhile, McMann was also missing from the skate as he continues to battle a lower-body injury. He did not appear in Toronto's final two regular-season games, finishing 2023-24 with 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points in 56 appearances.
Forward Max Domi also missed the final two games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury. He was back at Leafs' skate Friday on the top line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Auston Matthews. Domi had nine goals and 38 assists this past season in 80 games.
Domi declared himself ready to play in Game 1 after Friday's skate.
Brodie to be scratched?
On defence, T.J. Brodie was not a part of the top six during Friday's practice, leaving him as a potential scratch for Saturday's opening game.
Morgan Rielly and Ilya Lyubushkin formed the top pairing, while Simon Benoit skated with Jake McCabe and trade deadline addition Joel Edmundson paired with Timothy Liljegren.
Brodie had one goal and 26 points in 78 games this season, finishing second on the Maple Leafs in average ice time at 21:43 per game.
Mark Giordano and newly signed blueliner Cade Webber also skated as extras on defence.
Here were the lines, courtesy of TSN's Mark Masters:
Bertuzzi - Matthews- Domi
Knies - Tavares - Marner
Robertson - Holmberg - Jarnkrok
Dewar - Kampf - Reaves
Gregor
Rielly - Lyubushkin
Benoit - McCabe
Edmundson - Liljegren
Giordano - Brodie
Webber - Timmins
Goalie plans under wraps
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney acknowledged Thursday the team has a plan for how to platoon goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, but said it won't be revealed to the public.
Domi had little interest when asked about the gamesmanship Friday, noting the Leafs haven't announced a starter, either.
“Did we reveal ours? No. There ya go. Welcome to the playoffs,” Domi said.
Swayman and Ullmark traded starts throughout the regular season, with neither starting more than one straight game since the start of March. There's little to separate the two, with Swayman finishing the year with a 25-10-8 record, a .916 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average. Ullmark's record for 2023-24 stood at 22-10-7 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA.
“Our goalies know what the plan is. Performance and results will dictate some of this, but we know what the plan is," Sweeney said Thursday via Bruins reporter Joe Haggerty.
Ilya Samsonov saw the majority of the action for the Maple Leafs down the stretch of 2023-24. Despite being waived earlier in the season, the 27-year-old rebounded and closed out the campaign with a 23-7-8 record, a .890 save percentage and a 3.13 GAA.
Joseph Woll and Martin Jones traded the two final starts of the regular season as Samsonov rested.