William Nylander’s introduction to the 2024 playoffs isn’t the only lineup change the Toronto Maple Leafs will make heading into Saturday’s pivotal Game 4 against the Boston Bruins.
The trickle effect of injecting a healthy 40-goal superstar to the middle six will also tweak coach Sheldon Keefe’s effective fourth line, and another swap is being made to the defence corps.
Nylander slides onto an all-Swede third line alongside Pontus Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok, while young sniper Nick Robertson takes deadline addition Connor Dewar’s spot on the fourth line.
“Offence is hard to come by. Goals are hard to come by,” Keefe explains of the decision. “[Robertson] has found a way to create chances, get chances in low minutes.”
So dangerous offensively throughout the regular season, the Maple Leafs are averaging just two goals per game in this series — a recipe for elimination in a 3-2 league and a major reason why they’re trailing the Bruins 2-1.
We fully anticipate Nylander to receive multiple bump-up shifts on a stacked second line with Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
Right-shot defenceman Timothy Liljegren hasn’t contributed any offence, and he and partner Joel Edmundson rank last among Leafs blueliners with a minus-2 rating through three games.
“We like our D pairs. We haven’t liked that D pair as much. That pair hasn’t played to the level of the others,” Keefe said. “The other part of it is, Lily isn’t 100 per cent healthy.”
Liljegren was hunched over in obvious pain on the bench in the third period of Game 3 after getting rocked hard by Jake DeBrusk on the forecheck. On his next shift, he couldn’t clear the zone and Brad Marchand scored the game-winner.
While Keefe is weighing some game-time decisions, expect Liljegren to sit in favour of veteran TJ Brodie, who put up eight points over his past 11 games and totes 55 games of playoff experience.
Keefe offered this as to why the Leafs had been so secretive with injuries at this time of year: “You are protecting the players. It’s a very competitive and physical game. You say guys don’t target one another? Well, I got news for you.”
Maple Leafs projected Game 4 lines in Toronto:
Bertuzzi – Matthews – Domi
Knies – Tavares – Marner
Nylander – Holmberg – Järnkrok
Robertson – Kämpf – Reaves
Rielly – Lyubushkin
Benoit – McCabe
Edmundson – Brodie
Samsonov starts
Woll
