Maple Leafs could be without an injured Max Domi vs. Detroit Red Wings

Article content

William Nylander could stand alone on Saturday night.

Article content

The Maple Leafs have had their share of injuries and illnesses in 2023-24 to the point that only Nylander and Max Domi have played in every game so far.

Article content

And Domi could come off that short list when the Detroit Red Wings visit Scotiabank Arena for the Leafs’ final home game of the regular season. 

Domi did not practise on Friday at the Ford Performance Centre and it was not for maintenance reasons.

“He has an injury,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said, sounding subdued. “It’s a day-to-day situation, so we just kept him off the ice today and see how he is tomorrow.”

Is there a chance Domi could play on Saturday?

“Yeah, there’s a chance,” Keefe said.

The nature of Domi’s injury was not clear. He returned against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night after fighting Simon Nemec in the second period and was available to media after the game.

Article content

Article content

With Domi absent, Keefe moved Noah Gregor to the right wing on the top line with Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. That would indicate Gregor was a placeholder for Domi, but we’ll have a better idea once Saturday progresses.

If Domi can’t play, it’s possible Keefe would move Mitch Marner back to Matthews’ right side. 

In any regard, Matthews, with 68 goals, should still have a good shot at hitting the 70-goal milestone against the Wings. He has 16 goals in 23 career games against Detroit, though he did not score in two previous meetings this season.

Defenceman Timothy Liljegren, looking to return to the lineup after missing the past eight games with an upper-body injury, practised on a defence pair with Morgan Rielly. 

Article content

“I haven’t got the report on him, but he looked good,” Keefe said. “I know he went into the practice with the intention of pushing himself and an eye toward (playing) tomorrow. That’s the goal and we’ll see where he is at tomorrow.”

Jake McCabe, who was given a rest for the 6-5 loss to New Jersey, will be back on Saturday alongside Simon Benoit.

Ilya Samsonov will be in goal against the Wings after allowing six goals on 20 shots versus the Devils. Keefe said it was always the plan this week that Samsonov would start on Saturday.

“Tough game,” Samsonov said in reference to Thursday. “We’re playing in the best league in the world and sometimes we have a good day, sometimes bad, most important (is) how your reaction for this. Today new day, everybody smile, working hard.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

Article content