Leafs' blue line depleted against high-powered Islanders offense
The Toronto Maple Leafs won't have veteran defensemen Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak for Wednesday's matchup with the New York Islanders and their third-ranked offense.
Polak has been placed on injured reserve with a viral infection and Hainsey is out while dealing with an illness. This occurs while top blue-liner Morgan Rielly remains out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. Hainsey and Rielly had made up Toronto's top pairing for most of the season.
Nikita Zaitsev's return to the lineup provides reinforcements, but given that he hasn't played since Dec. 15, it's unlikely he'll be at optimal effectiveness.
Justin Holl, who was recalled from the AHL on an emergency basis, will make his NHL debut. He had 20 points in 39 games with the Toronto Marlies.
Here is how the Leafs are expected to take the ice on the back end:
Leafs D in warm-up
- Mark Masters (@markhmasters) February 1, 2018
Gardiner-Zaitsev*
Borgman-Carrick
Dermott-Holl
* Nikita returns from broken right foot sustained Dec. 15 #BellLetsTalk
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