It was one in, one out on the blue line for the Maple Leafs at practice on Monday, as veteran Mark Giordano returned, but took the place of an absent Timothy Liljegren.
The Swedish defenceman was not on the ice for practice, due to an injury that head coach Sheldon Keefe described as day-to-day. If Liljegren can’t play on Tuesday when the Leafs host the Vegas Golden Knights, Giordano will play, said Keefe. The veteran was back skating with the team after taking time off due to the death of his father 10 days ago.
Liljegren, 24, saw his average time on ice shoot up during the recent five-game suspension served by fellow blueliner Morgan Rielly, finding himself paired with veteran T.J. Brodie. He has collected seven assists during the Maple Leafs’ recent seven-game win streak.
Keefe said he planned on keeping three goalies with the team for the time being, after the return of Joseph Woll from an ankle injury he suffered on Dec. 7 in Ottawa. The 25-year-old joins back-in-form Ilya Samsonov and veteran Martin Jones, the latter who steadied things while the other two were out. Woll stopped 36 of 37 shots on Saturday in a rehab game with the AHL’s Marlies.
