Leafs reunite Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for pre-playoff test spin on the road

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Sparking Matthews on offence and giving William Nylander a shot with newly acquired Ryan O’Reilly were factors in the shuffle, according to coach Sheldon Keefe.

Keefe put Matthews and Marner back together in practice Saturday, before the Leafs jetted west for Seattle and the start of a five-game road trip. William Nylander moved to a line with Ryan O’Reilly and John Tavares.Keefe wants to see what they look like in game action first, and a lot will depend on how Nylander — who has been having a career season, mostly on the wing with Matthews — fares with O’Reilly, recently acquired from the St. Louis Blues, as his centre.

Keefe added that part of the thinking behind the shuffle is to spark Matthews, who continues to play a terrific two-way game but has 26 goals in 52 games, after leading the NHL with a team-record 60 goals last season. He hasn’t scored in his last four games. The third and fourth units appear solid, especially after acquiring Noel Acciari as the fourth-line centre in the O’Reilly deal. But the coach has also hinted he may try O’Reilly at centre on the third line before the regular season ends. With another first-round playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning all but certain, better chemistry and production from the top lines could be the key to clearing that hurdle.

 

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