The Maple Leafs managed well last game without three of their top five players when they stole a win from a red hot St. Louis Blues team on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, today the news isn't great on the status of some of Toronto's top players.
Sheldon Keefe addressed the media today by stating that not only are Mitch Marner and John Tavares away from the rink today, William Nylander is also not present. This has led to additional line juggling and players continuing to skate as placeholders for three of the top four forwards.
The reasoning behind why Marner, Nylander, and Tavares are not practicing with the team today is due to yet another illness making its way through the locker room - the same illness that kept Marner and Tavares from playing last night against the Blues. Luckily it is unrelated to defenseman Conor Timmins' mononucleosis, so that's a silver-lining.
The top forwards, as stated by Keefe, are expected to focus on resting up today and ensuring they are getting the proper nutrients in to help fight their illnesses. A decision on their game status for tomorrow's clash with Philadelphia will not occur until sometime tomorrow, likely just before puck drop.
The hope is that tomorrow Keefe will have some good news regarding the statuses of the three top forwards, and it is possible they could miss practice again tomorrow. If they are not feeling well enough to face the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow, Matthews will have to lead the way and receive additional help from Toronto's supporting cast with four of the top five players not in the lineup. Thankfully, we know that the team is capable of rallying and stepping up in the absences of some of the team's top players, as was evidenced by a decisive 4-1 victory last night against St. Louis.
