Bozak sits out Leaf practice
The one thing the Leafs don’t need right now is a Tyler Bozak injury-mystery. But that’s what has developed, especially after Bozak missed Thursday’s game in Florida, followed by a no-show at practice Friday.
There has been no official update on Bozak’s status, and no word on what — if any — injury he is dealing with. Bozak may be showing the ill affects of a hard check from Radko Gudas in the Leafs’ loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday.
Bozak absorbed a hit to the shoulder from Gudas; there was no indication of any impending problem until the following night in Sunrise, Fla., where Bozak was scratched from the lineup. Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said-Friday that he did not speak with Bozak in the morning prior to practice. And if the coach did have any information, he is now in playoff mode, which means he isn’t sharing much with the ever expanding media hordes flocking to the Leafs’ playoff story. “You (media) are asking questions I don’t have answers to,” Carlyle said after practice Friday. Bozak was out an hour before Friday’s practice, taking shots on the Rapid Shot shooting surface adjacent to the ice surface.
It’s likely the first-line centre was testing his shoulder and his shooting motions, and gauging his ability to play. There was nothing in his shooting session to suggest he is suffering from something major. The Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night in the final game of the regular season for both teams, and a game that could affect the Eastern Conference playoff seedings for both teams. Carlyle said Thursday that he expects everyone on the roster to be available for Saturday’s game. But there is the possibility Bozak may be given more time to rest, if in fact he is nursing a shoulder problem, or any other injury. Carlyle met the Bozak absence Thursday with a solid line change — the coach put Nazem Kadri in Bo- zak’s spot on the top line with Phil Kessel, and inserted Joffrey Lupul on that line as well. The trio sparkled in the game, and there was instant chemistry between all three.