After a day full of snow yesterday, in which the Maple Leafs still held practice, they take one final day to prepare for their two games in New York.
Toronto is coming off a road trip that saw them give up a few leads, but still come out with five points from four games. When you look back at the Maple Leafs&#8217; recent play, there&#8217;s things to be happy about. But, other teams in the Atlantic Division are playing just as good, or better.
Sheldon Keefe understands that and wants that to be the focus going forward,
&#8220;We&#8217;re 7-2-1 in our last 10 games, but over that span, we&#8217;ve actually lost ground on Boston,&#8221; said Keefe after Monday&#8217;s practice. &#8220;That&#8217;s just the nature of the way the division has gone. Obviously, Florida and Tampa don&#8217;t lose very often. We&#8217;ve been fortunate to stay up with them, but despite the fact that there&#8217;s a lot of season left, you can&#8217;t take days off, can&#8217;t take nights off. That&#8217;s why it was frustrating that we gave up those points on the road like we did, whether it was giving up a lead, or giving up two points in Arizona. Those are tough points. Those are things that you have to be able to find a new way to get your share of points every single night because everybody around you is not giving you any room to breathe.&#8221;
@Jake Muzzin the only non-COVID protocol player missing from practice on Tuesday. Keefe didn&#8217;t have good news on the Maple Leafs&#8217; defenceman.
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Jake Muzzin has been diagnosed with a concussion and was held out of practice today. He won&#39;t travel to New York for Wednesday&#39;s game.
&mdash; Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshuakloke/status/1483505504924094469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Keefe said that the concussion likely stemmed from a hit he took vs. St. Louis on Saturday night.
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Concussion stems from that hit he took that led to that goal scored by St. Louis the other night.
&mdash; David Alter (@dalter) <a href="https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1483505539145510913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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This was the hit that Keefe was referring to.
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Muzzin was shaken up before the goal from this hit by Klim Kostin <a href="https://t.co/NdSAgJgmD4">pic.twitter.com/NdSAgJgmD4</a>
&mdash; Omar (@TicTacTOmar) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1482522720227274753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Muzzin isn&#8217;t the only one missing from practice. If you remember back to January 14th, all three of @Nick Ritchie, @Ondrej Kase, and @Justin Holl were placed in COVID protocols. With the mandatory five days almost up, it&#8217;s possible that a few players return on the Maple Leafs&#8217; trip to New York.
<h2>Maple Leafs lines at practice on Tuesday</h2>
With the four players named above absent, here&#8217;s how Toronto&#8217;s lines shaped up at their final practice before New York.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Leafs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Leafs</a> today: Bunting-Matthews-Marner Kerfoot-Tavares-Nylander Mikheyev-Kampf-Engvall Clifford-Spezza-Simmonds
Rielly-Brodie Sandin-Liljegren Dermott-Biega
Campbell Mrazek Hutchinson
&mdash; Terry Koshan (@koshtorontosun) <a href="https://twitter.com/koshtorontosun/status/1483491026241302528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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With Muzzin and Holl out, @Rasmus Sandin and @Timothy Liljegren have moved up to the second pairing. Alongside @Travis Dermott on the third pairing is @Alex Biega, who&#8217;s only played one game for the Maple Leafs this season.
Keefe said Biega will play on Wednesday night vs. the Rangers.
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Alex Biega draws in Wednesday for the injured Muzzin.
&mdash; luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483506766289813504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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From what it looks like, there are no changes to the forward lines. There looks to be no changes to the power play, either.
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Leafs PP units at practice Jan. 18/22 🥅 Tavares Marner-Nylander-Matthews Rielly
 🥅 Simmonds Mikheyev-Bunting-Spezza Sandin
&mdash; David Alter (@dalter) <a href="https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1483492511075258380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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One of the pieces of news that came out today was that the NHL will not test asymptomatic players and staff after the All-Star break.
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NEWS: Sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyFaceoff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyFaceoff</a> that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHL</a> will no longer test asymptomatic players and staff following the All-Star break, provided Covid-19 rates continue to decline around the league.
Testing will only then be for cross-border travel (as required) and if symptoms arise.
&mdash; Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1483466106224402433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After the Maple Leafs&#8217; practice today, @Jason Spezza provided his opinion on this decision by the NHL.
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Jason Spezza says it&#39;s a &quot;natural progression&quot; to stop testing asymptomatic NHLers: &quot;We&#39;re in a different place than we were two years ago with the virus, so I think it&#39;s a good step in the right direction.&quot;
&mdash; luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483502107391143945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Spezza also gave us a hint of how excited @Jack Campbell is to suit up for the All-Star game. This is good to see.
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Jason Spezza is jacked up for Campbell to go to All-Star: &quot;I was actually with him in Arizona when he found out. I think I might&#39;ve been happier than he was.&quot;
&mdash; luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) <a href="https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483503689151176709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Campbell joins @Auston Matthews as the two Leafs headed to Las Vegas. @John Tavares did not get in through the &#8216;Last Men In&#8217; contest.
As for the Maple Leafs, though, their next game is Wednesday vs. the New York Rangers at 7:30 PM. They then play the New York Islanders on Saturday before returning home.

After a day full of snow yesterday, in which the Maple Leafs still held practice, they take one final day to prepare for their two games in New York.

Toronto is coming off a road trip that saw them give up a few leads, but still come out with five points from four games. When you look back at the Maple Leafs' recent play, there's things to be happy about. But, other teams in the Atlantic Division are playing just as good, or better.

Sheldon Keefe understands that and wants that to be the focus going forward,

"We're 7-2-1 in our last 10 games, but over that span, we've actually lost ground on Boston," said Keefe after Monday's practice. "That's just the nature of the way the division has gone. Obviously, Florida and Tampa don't lose very often. We've been fortunate to stay up with them, but despite the fact that there's a lot of season left, you can't take days off, can't take nights off. That's why it was frustrating that we gave up those points on the road like we did, whether it was giving up a lead, or giving up two points in Arizona. Those are tough points. Those are things that you have to be able to find a new way to get your share of points every single night because everybody around you is not giving you any room to breathe."

@Jake Muzzin the only non-COVID protocol player missing from practice on Tuesday. Keefe didn't have good news on the Maple Leafs' defenceman.

https://twitter.com/joshuakloke/status/1483505504924094469?s=20

Keefe said that the concussion likely stemmed from a hit he took vs. St. Louis on Saturday night.

https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1483505539145510913?s=20

This was the hit that Keefe was referring to.

https://twitter.com/tictactomar/status/1482522720227274753?s=21

Muzzin isn't the only one missing from practice. If you remember back to January 14th, all three of @Nick Ritchie, @Ondrej Kase, and @Justin Holl were placed in COVID protocols. With the mandatory five days almost up, it's possible that a few players return on the Maple Leafs' trip to New York.
<h2>Maple Leafs lines at practice on Tuesday</h2>
With the four players named above absent, here's how Toronto's lines shaped up at their final practice before New York.

https://twitter.com/koshtorontosun/status/1483491026241302528?s=20

With Muzzin and Holl out, @Rasmus Sandin and @Timothy Liljegren have moved up to the second pairing. Alongside @Travis Dermott on the third pairing is @Alex Biega, who's only played one game for the Maple Leafs this season.

Keefe said Biega will play on Wednesday night vs. the Rangers.

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483506766289813504?s=20

From what it looks like, there are no changes to the forward lines. There looks to be no changes to the power play, either.

https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1483492511075258380?s=20

One of the pieces of news that came out today was that the NHL will not test asymptomatic players and staff after the All-Star break.

https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1483466106224402433?s=20

After the Maple Leafs' practice today, @Jason Spezza provided his opinion on this decision by the NHL.

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483502107391143945?s=20

Spezza also gave us a hint of how excited @Jack Campbell is to suit up for the All-Star game. This is good to see.

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1483503689151176709?s=20

Campbell joins @Auston Matthews as the two Leafs headed to Las Vegas. @John Tavares did not get in through the 'Last Men In' contest.

As for the Maple Leafs, though, their next game is Wednesday vs. the New York Rangers at 7:30 PM. They then play the New York Islanders on Saturday before returning home.

Leafs’ Latest: Jake Muzzin unavailable for New York trip after suffering concussion

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