Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Confirms What Many Had Suspected Ahead of Game 5

The big news coming out of Monday's Maple Leafs practice involved a pair of conspicuous absences, as Auston Matthews and Joseph Woll were not present. After practice, Matthews' absence was revealed as a rest day by Craig Berube, while Woll's absence was classified as illness-related.

In Matthews' absence, David Kampf skated between Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies as the top line centre, acting as a placeholder for Matthews, while rookie goaltender Artur Akhtyamov sat in for Woll. These placeholders seemed to indicate that there would be no actual lineup changes for Game 5.

Following an optional skate on Tuesday morning, which featured Auston Matthews returning to the ice for some light work after a couple of days off, Berube confirmed to the media in Toronto that the Leafs would be running back the same lineup from Game 4 with another chance to close the series out.

The decision by Berube confirms that Nicholas Robertson will once again spend the night in the press box as a healthy scratch. Here's how the lineup breaks down for Game 5, based on the lines and pairings from Game 4:

The Leafs have an opportunity to close out the series tonight, which would set them up for some rest in between rounds. This is particularly beneficial, as their next opponent, should they beat the Sens, would be either Tampa Bay or Florida.

The Panthers and Lightning are currently in the process of beating the heck out of one another in their very rough Round 1 matchup.

Like the Leafs, the Panthers also lead their series 3-1, and can close it out this week.