In a season already full of Maple Leaf absentees, Sheldon Keefe is used to having his starting lineup in a state of flux.
Friday’s practice to prep for the Calgary Flames was missing injured winger Nick Robertson, while replacement Joey Anderson was in transit from the farm team Marlies and though Pierre Engvall was present, it’s a fair assumption he’ll get at least a game suspension for a Thursday night high stick on Los Angeles defenceman Sean Durzi. Engvall was to have a Friday afternoon phone hearing with the NHL department of player safety.
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“If he’s not available, we adjust,” Keefe said after a quick practice following a second straight shutout win, 5-0 over the Kings.
Engvall and Durzi got their sticks up, the former’s follow through coming down hard on the back of Durzi’s helmet.
“It was unfortunate, I’m not sure if he did it on purpose,” said Wayne Simmonds, who re-joins the lineup tomorrow after two games as a scratch. “But either way, stuff like that happens sometimes.”
Calgary plays an abrasive style, thus Simmonds was already pencilled into play. No Engvall means Keefe would have to work in Anderson, who has been limited to six NHL games since arriving from New Jersey two years ago, but someone who can help the bottom six.
“We’re not going to out-physical Calgary, we know that,” Simmonds said. “But we have to bring a physical brand of hockey which I think we’ve been doing.
“Last night (winger Zach-Aston Reese) did an unbelievable job, with a big hit, their guy challenged him (drawing a costly penalty and the game’s first goal) and he took care of business.”
Calgary’s Nazem Kadri plays his first Toronto game since winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado, a feat he took great delight in as proof he wasn’t a playoff liability as a Leaf.
Toronto’s new top line shift disturber is Michael Bunting.
“Kadri plays on that edge as well, he brings a lot to the table every night,” Bunting praised. “He’s coming back, I’m sure he’ll bring his ‘A’ game.”
One change Keefe is mulling is Denis Malgin in Robertson’s left wing spot with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, who is striving for 22 straight games with a point to extend his franchise record.
A victory will move Keefe past the late Pat Burns and Red Kelly into fifth in Leaf coaching wins with 134. But those two men and all those ahead of Keefe have at least three or more playoff series wins, where he is 0-for-3.
“(Burn and Kelly) certainly are good company and people whom I have tremendous respect for,” Keefe said. “But it’s not anything I pay any sort of attention to, other than to say I’m fortunate to coach a good team here and a good organization has put me in position to succeed and facilitate that in regular season.
“We’re building towards a team that can advance in playoffs, but we can’t be in playoffs today or tomorrow. Just continue to work our way there and put ourselves in the best position possible to get over that hump.”
Matt Murray, who had a 4-0 shutout in Dallas before Ilya Samsonov did likewise to the Kings, is expected to start in net Saturday.
lhornby@postmedia.com
