Toronto Maple Leafs make cowardly lineup move with Ryan Reaves ahead of game against Edmonton Oilers
The Toronto Maple Leafs have seemingly decided to sit out one key player tonight as they face the Edmonton Oilers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs last played against the Oilers on November 16th, when they earned a 4-3 victory in overtime.
However, that does not tell the full story of the game.
Rather, the big headline from that one was the fact that Ryan Reaves was ejected and subsequently suspended five games for a high hit on Darnell Nurse.
Tonight, the two teams will meet for the second and final time this season.
Many fans might be expecting fireworks based on the way the last matchup between the two clubs went, but it appears as though Craig Berube and the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to avoid that.
This is fairly obvious from one lineup decision the head coach appears to be making.
Yesterday, Ryan Reaves practiced as a healthy extra, indicating that he will not play against the Oilers tonight.
Of course, it is entirely possible that Berube decided to hold Reaves out of the lineup not because of what happened in the previous game, but simply because Reaves is not that useful to the team.
After all, he has not been an every-night player for the team, appearing in just 32 of the team's 51 games so far.
Furthermore, he has just 2 points in those games and has not even been particularly physical, registering just one fight on the season.
Even when he does play, he averages less than 8 minutes a night so it is clear that Berube does not particularly trust him.
When you are going against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, you certainly want your 12 best forwards in the lineup.
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