LAS VEGAS — Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will keep his defensive pairs intact even with his top defender set to return against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
Morgan Rielly will shake in a pair with defenseman William Lagesson as both defensemen return to action.
"The team has been going well and we’ve like our pairs and so we’ll keep the same pairs. You just want to keep that positive momentum that the team has going and excited to get Morgan and Laggs back in."
Rielly has skated with TJ Brodie for most of the season but missed the last games to serve a suspension after cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig in the head in an act of retribution.
Lagesson last played on Feb. 17 against the Anaheim Ducks and has been out with an upper-body injury.
With both set to return, it's a straight swap as both will play in place of Marshall Rifai, who made his NHL debut in a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Monday. Max Lajoie will also sit out.
In Rielly's absence, the Maple Leafs went a perfect 5-0-0 and are also riding their longest winning streak of the season in that span. In that time, TJ Brodie and Timothy Liljegren have shown great improvement and it's clear that Keefe doesn't want to break that up.
The Leafs are coming off a 6-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday and hope some rested bodies will help them get through the second day of back-to-back games.
"Those guys have certainly will give us a jolt," Keefe said. "We expect the groups to keep playing their game.
Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe will also stick together as a defensive pair. Up front, former Golden Knight Ryan Reaves will come into the lineup for Noah Gregor.
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