The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens hit the ice Tuesday ahead of the first round of the NHL playoffs. Toronto forward Auston Matthews is warning the Washington Capitals not to underestimate the Leafs. Nikita Zaitsev will “not be available for game one” of the Maple Leafs’ first round playoff with Washington, head coach Mike Babcock said after practice Wednesday. Babcock was sizing up his defence for Thursday’s series opener, and what the fallout will be with Zaitsev on the shelf. Rielly has spent much of this season with Zaitsev as his defence partner.

Source: thestar April 12, 2017 16:08 UTC