The Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Scotiabank Arena tonight as they look to win their second consecutive game without Morgan Rielly. The Leafs are also unsure if they will have John Tavares, Mitch Marner or William Nylander as they are all dealing with an illness. The trio returned to the ice this morning and following practice, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that they all look ready to play tonight, but we won't know for sure until they take the ice for the pre-game warmups.
Tavares is hopeful, saying that he felt good when he woke up this morning. While he, Nylander and Marner may end up playing, Auston Matthews left practice early on the advice of Keefe.
From Keefe's explanation, it sounds like Matthews has been playing through the illness and is hoping that by keeping his skate short, he will be able to play tonight as well. With the status of the "Core 4" up in the air for the most part, the Leafs could enter tonight's game with a short bench. If the four of them are able to play, it will be interesting to see how Keefe manages the minutes of them how he assembles his lines.
