Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe announced on Tuesday that center Ryan O’Reilly underwent successful surgery on his finger and his timeline to return is four weeks.
O’Reilly’s timeline projects him to return on April 4, when the Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. That means he’ll miss roughly 13 games with the injury, and give him around six games to return to the lineup and get acclimated with the team again before the playoffs.
O’Reilly was hurt in the final minute of the second period when he blocked a shot from Auston Matthews in the midst of a two-minute shift for the forward on March 4. O’Reilly had 11:10 of ice time with a shot, a takeaway, and a few faceoff wins when he left the game. The Leafs were down 1-0 when he exited, but a high-scoring third that included two shorthanded Canucks goals on the same penalty kill gave the Canucks a 4-1 win.
O’Reilly’s had a bit of a down season with just 15 goals, nine assists and 24 points in 47 games, although a lot of the lack of points came down to poor shooting luck from his line mates with the St. Louis Blues despite his passing ability still being at a normal level. That said, he also has three goals, two assists, and five points in eight games with the Leafs.
Captain John Tavares will also miss Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, meaning that the Leafs lineup will see a bit of a shakeup. Pontus Holmberg and Alex Steeves were called up from the Toronto Marlies to slot into the lineup on the fourth line, while Calle Jarnkrok and Sam Lafferty move up onto the second line with William Nylander.
The Leafs currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 38-17-8 record. The loss of O’Reilly is a big one for the team, as they lose a lot of valuable time to give him some chemistry with the Leafs lineup before their likely first-round rematch against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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