Babcock’s Leafs were coming off a rare recent win Monday, just the third in nine games a team struggling with its defensive responsibilities. Auston Matthews, the team’s best player, had missed practice. Babcock had been forced to shuffle his lines and the new combos could carry over into Wednesday’s game against Minnesota, or longer. “We changed the lines six times and we might change them again before (Wednesday’s game),” Babcock said. As for Matthews, who played against Vegas on Monday despite “soreness,” Babcock said the team is in a “holding pattern.” A final decision on his status Wednesday might not come until shortly before game time.

Source: thestar November 08, 2017 03:45 UTC