TORONTO — Martin Marincin wants back in. But Mike Babcock was willing to let his defenceman wait at least one more day.
Marincin, who has been out of the lineup since Dec. 10 with a lower-body injury, on Friday declared himself “ready” to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.
Babcock said the decision on Marincin will be made following the club’s morning skate on Saturday, hours before the Leafs and Ottawa Senators clash at the Air Canada Centre in the latest instalment of the Battle of Ontario.
Rielly's return remains uncertain
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said defenceman Morgan Rielly, who is sidelined after suffering right leg injury on Tuesday against Buffalo, is “100% is not available” to play versus Ottawa on Saturday.
When might Rielly return to the lineup? That’s where it gets muddy. Rielly skated by himself on Friday morning, and reported to Babcock afterward.
“He told me he was doing fine, he was hoping to be better than he was, but he is doing fine,” Babcock said. “I don’t know what that means. Does that mean day to day? Does that mean 10 days? Day to day is normally 10 days, so is it longer than that? I don’t know.”
How about centre Ben Smith? Did those pins come out of his surgically repaired hand this week?
“I never ask (the training staff),” Babcock said. “What I have learned over time as a coach in this league is the less you ask … you are not putting any pressure on them. When they are ready, the trainers tell you.”
Terry Koshan, Postmedia Network
Marincin, who has missed the past 17 games, appeared to be on the cusp of getting into the lineup during practice at the MasterCard Centre as he was paired with Nikita Zaitsev.
“Marty has a chance to be a really good player,” Babcock said. “He has to earn the right to feel confident, and play like he can. Great stick, great skater.
“The ball is in his court. We will decide tomorrow. We will see who is healthy, who is not, and make our decisions at that time.”
A couple of factors tend to make one believe Marincin will be activated from injured reserve. Morgan Rielly will miss a second consecutive game with a right leg injury; also, the Leafs were a defensive mess on Thursday in a loss against the New York Rangers, and though Marincin wouldn’t erase the problems on his own, his presence could help put the Leafs on a better footing.
Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick remained a pair at practice, as did Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak. Frank Corrado, who played in his second game of the season against the Rangers, was the seventh defenceman.
The Leafs will have to be a lot better against the Senators than they were Thursday. Babcock still was scratching his head Friday over his players’ poor performance. And to be clear, the forwards were just as guilty as the defencemen. Only goalie Frederik Andersen got a pass.
“We were terrible,” Babcock said. “You’re not disappointed that often. We did not compete hard and we were not prepared. That’s my job. We weren’t ready to go … Whether that was a team that is feeling good about themselves and did not compete …
“Now, that is one (game), it has to be done. We are playing a good Ottawa team and they are going to be competitive.”
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There’s juice in the Leafs-Senators rivalry again, and though there shouldn’t be too much stock put into a January game, the Leafs don’t think they can afford to lose.
With 50 points, the Leafs held down the second wild-card playoff spot before games were played on Friday. The Senators, with 52 points, were in second place in the Atlantic Division.
“It’s always about the response (from a bad effort),” forward James van Riemsdyk said. “It’s going to be a big one, a divisional game against the Sens.
“Now that we’re both in the upper echelon of the standings it makes the games little more meaningful and fun. We know these games are huge.”
Marincin had been an important player for the Leafs on the penalty kill, averaging a shade under three minutes a game while Toronto was shorthanded. Only Polak and Hunwick, among Leafs defencemen, have been on the ice more with a teammate in the penalty box.
It would be just as crucial for Gardiner and Carrick to regain some chemistry.
“They are playing on the offensive blue line,” Babcock said when he was asked what the two are doing when they are effective.
“They get the puck moving, they don’t have to defend. It was pretty evident (against the Rangers) we could not move the puck.”
In the bigger picture, Marincin wants to help get that in order.
“I hope so,” Marincin said. “I’m feeling great.”
tkoshan@postmedia.com
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