Ekblad, Samoskevich Draw In for Panthers, Stolarz Out for Maple Leafs in Game 2

Looking to even up its second-round playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers will be making a few lineup changes for Wednesday night’s Game 2 at Scotiabank Arena.

 

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad will return to the lineup after missing the past two games as he served out a suspension for a high-hit he laid on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the first round.

 

“We’ve missed him,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters after morning skate in Toronto. “He’s a big part of what we do.”

 

Ekblad will jump right back on Florida’s top-pair next to Gustav Forsling. Uvis Balinskis will be coming out.

 

“I’m really excited,” Ekblad said about returning to the lineup. “Obviously after Game 1 I’m hoping to provide some energy for the team.”

 

Forward Mackie Samoskevich will also draw in for AJ Greer in Wednesday’s Game 2 in Toronto.

 

The 22-year-old rookie was a healthy scratch for the past three playoff games dating back to the first round. Samoskevich played in the Panthers’ first three games against the Lighting before being replaced by Greer.

 

“In some ways the pressure is off him,” Maurice said of Samoskevich drawing back in. “He gets to come back in and just play.”

 

He will slot in on the fourth-line alongside Nico Sturm and Jesper Boqvist.

 

On the opposite side of the ice, the Maple Leafs will be without starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz for Game 2.

 

Stolarz, who was hit in the head/neck area by Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett’s forearm, left Game 1 about midway through the second period — a few minutes after the Bennett hit — and did not return.

 

The former Panther now Leafs No. 1 was seen throwing up on the Leafs’ bench before he left the game and was taken to the hospital for further evaluations.

 

“He’s fine, he’s recovering,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Stolarz’s health when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

 

Joseph Woll — who finished Game 1 after Stolarz left — will get the start for Game 2. Matt Murray will back up 26-year-old Woll.

 

Berube did not provide a timeline on when Stolarz would return.

 

Following the play which saw Stolarz leave the game, Sam Bennett has become the talk of the series.

 

Bennett said that he reached out to Stolarz after finding out his former teammate went to the hospital.

 

“Stolie is a good friend of mine, I reached out to him — he responded,” Bennett said on Tuesday. “Obviously you never want to see an injury like that.

 

“From my point of view I’m just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know that we made contact until after. I’m on the power play, I’m trying to score; I’m taking the puck to the net and that’s really all there was to it.”

 

Bennett did not receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for the hit and will be in the lineup for Game 2.

 

Panthers Projected Lines

Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart

Rodrigues-Bennett-Tkachuk

Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand

Samoskevich-Sturm-Boqvist

 

Forsling-Ekblad

Mikkola-Jones

Schmidt-Kulikov

 

Bobrovsky

Vanecek

 

 

Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Pacioretty – Tavares – Nylander

Lorentz – Laughton – Jarnkrok

McMann – Domi – Holmberg

 

McCabe – Tanev

Rielly – Carlo

Benoit – Ekman-Larsson

 

Woll

Murray