The Toronto Maple Leafs will face off against the Washington Capitals without Ryan Reaves in the lineup, Wednesday night.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed pregame that Reaves is out with an eye injury after taking an accidental finger poke from Philadelphia Flyers forward Nicolas Deslauriers during their fight on Tuesday night.
Reaves will be replaced in the Maple Leafs’ lineup by Noah Gregor which could be a positive for Toronto as Gregor has 11 points (5g, 6a) this season compared to Reaves’ four points (3g, 1a). Toronto brought Reaves in as part of their efforts to be harder to play against in the NHL playoffs. They did so even though the veteran forward has never won a Stanley Cup and has been suspended more playoff games (3) than postseason fights (2).
The 37-year-old forward is skating on average 7:59 of ice time per game and complained to the media in January that he was being kept on injured reserve by the team despite being completely healthy.
Reaves, who once reportedly told an NHL team that he was the solution to their “Tom Wilson problem,” has not fought Tom Wilson in a game since November 15, 2014, when he was still a member of the St. Louis Blues.
The big winger was acquired by the New York Rangers after Wilson’s Horrifying Act of Violence game, but never ended up fighting Wilson before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild last season. He did not re-sign with Minnesota and instead inked a three-year, $4.05 million contract this past offseason with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Wilson and the rest of the Capitals will take on the Reaves-less Maple Leafs as they attempt to jump back into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Wilson is slated to skate on the team’s second line with Ivan Miroshnichenko and Dylan Strome.
Puck drop for the contest is scheduled for 7:30 pm. Toronto will be completing a back-to-back after their loss to the Flyers while Washington had the day off on Tuesday.
