James Reimer will get the start when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.
The Leafs goaltender played the majority of Sunday’s 6-3 win over the New York Rangers before leaving the game after he was clipped in the head by forward Dominic Moore in the third period. He stopped 24 of 26 shots before leaving the game.
Following the hit, Reimer was evaluated in the quiet room as per the NHL’s concussion protocol and was replaced by Jonathan Bernier in net.
Reimer, who has a history of concussion issues, told reporters Tuesday he was not feeling any ill effects from the hit.
Bernier started the first two games of the season for Toronto, allowing nine goals on 73 shots.
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As for Jake Gardiner, Leafs coach Randy Carlyle was non-committal on whether the defenceman would return to the lineup after he was healthy scratch Sunday night.
“It’s a game-time decision,” Carlyle said. “Coach’s decision . . . you have to deal with it and it’s not easy sometimes. But we feel we have a player (Gardiner) who is a quality player who can play to a higher level.”
Carlyle said Gardiner, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $20.25 million this summer, needed to “play better” to get inserted back into the lineup.
The 24-year-old has one assist and a minus-3 rating in two games this season.