Maple Leafs' Reimer unavailable with 'tightness,' Bernier to start vs. Penguins

Jonathan Bernier will have one more unexpected chance to close out 2015 on a high.

Bernier will start in place of James Reimer versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, the Maple Leafs announced.

Believed to be on the mend, Reimer replaced Bernier in Tuesday's 6-3 whipping from the New York Islanders. But after experiencing what the team is calling "tightness" after 20 minutes of work, he'll be held out for the final game of the calendar season.

Antoine Bibeau has been called up on an emergency basis to serve as backup to Bernier, who's fashioned a woeful 9-30-7 record with an .898 save percentage and 3.16 goals-against average in 2015.

Meanwhile, the decision to introduce Reimer into a meaningless period following a long-term injury without a proper warmup has proven to be a contentious decision.

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