All eyes were on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ practice on Wednesday morning as fans wonder if forward Michael Bunting will be inserted back into the lineup is eligible to return from his three-game suspension on Thursday.
It didn’t long to notice that Bunting was the odd man odd during practice, despite wearing the regular white jersey. On top of that, rookie Matthew Knies, who we knew was not coming out of the lineup for Game 5, got a huge promotion.
The game is tomorrow and so head coach Sheldon Keefe still has time to make a decision on Bunting.
The stats are undeniable in Games 2, 3 and 4 for the Maple Leafs in their first round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They average 5.33 goals without him in the series. And in Bunting’s absence, the Maple Leafs shown some rare composure, which has benefited them and could finally lead them to Round 2 of the postseason.
After practice, Keefe confirmed that Bunting could not be back for Game 5, but told fans not to worry about the rest of the postseason.
“He will get back in. It’s just not going to be tomorrow.”
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