Maple Leafs Reveal Status of Oliver Ekman-Larsson For Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario

On Saturday, we saw the Leafs take to the ice for their final practice before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators where they revealed their projected lineup for their opening game.

To the relief of Leafs Nation, both defensemen Jake McCabe and Ekman-Larsson took their usual spots on the blueline during rushes, indicating that both will return to the lineup for Game 1.

McCabe was quick to confirm his status following practice, stating publicly that he was ready to go, while Ekman-Larsson was more coy about his status.

On Sunday, we saw OEL take part in the optional morning skate where he then had some fun with the media when asked about his status and revealed how he got hurt.

The Swedish blueliner and Stanley Cup Champion noted that he was injured on his failed breakaway attempt against the Tampa Bay Lightning April 9th, but shared a good laugh about it.

Although the defenseman was secretive about his status for Game 1, Leafs head coach Craig Berube outright confirmed that the 33-year-old would be in the lineup.

Getting McCabe and OEL back for Game 1 gives the Leafs a huge boost on the blueline, particularly due to the fact the Leafs now have their optimal pairings available.

Expectations are high, emotions are high, and surely, the nerves of Leafs Nation will be even higher once the puck drops shortly after 7:00pm ET on Sunday night, but with the veteran experience of McCabe and OEL now back in the fold, the Leafs have one of their deepest bluelines in recent memory. That, along with stable goaltending, should help ease the minds of the fans.