Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube confirms three scratches vs Lightning

Easton Cowan is among three scratches for the Toronto Maple Leafs heading back into the swing of things after having the past three weeks off.

The Leafs are looking to take the next few games in between the Olympic break and the trade deadline to get into a winning momentum, starting with their game Wednesday vs Tampa Bay.

Leafs head coach Craig Berube has made three projected scratches ahead of tonight's game against Tampa, scratching Easton Cowan, Dakota Joshua, & Philippe Myers.

Berube confirmed that John Tavares, who missed practice yesterday with the flu, would play vs the Lightning.

Also in the lineup is Auston Matthews, the Olympic gold medal winner having spent yesterday in Washington D.C. at the White House as part of the State of the Union.

Anthony Stolarz is the projected starter in net for Toronto against Wednesday, with it looking likely that Joseph Woll will get the second game of the back-to-back against the Florida Panthers Thursday, although that has yet to be confirmed by Berube if the Leafs will split starts.

Stolarz avoids a matchup against his former team, Florida, with Joseph Woll getting the expected nod instead. Woll has appeared in Toronto's two games against the Panthers, winning both times.

Morgan Rielly, who had missed the tail end of Toronto's pre-break, is expected to be back in the Leafs lineup against the Lightning, having skated on the second pair alongside Brandon Carlo.

The Toronto Maple Leafs sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 27-21-9 record on the season, with 63 points. Toronto is six points back of the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

More details to come.

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