After a 4-2 win over the basement dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Maple Leafs got back to work, with a familiar face taking in a full practice.
It’s been one month since Ryan O’Reilly’s last game for Toronto, in which he suffered a broken finger. The 32-year-old took part in the Maple Leafs’ morning skate on Tuesday, but stayed out for extra work after, confirming he wouldn’t return just yet.
However, on Wednesday, when Toronto stepped foot on the ice for practice, O’Reilly was in a regulars jersey, meaning good things are to come.
And they officially have.

Ryan O’Reilly is back tomorrow, Sheldon Keefe confirms.
— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) April 5, 2023

The 32-year-old will return to the lineup on Thursday when the Maple Leafs take on the best team in the NHL, the Boston Bruins. A great test for the team, but also for O’Reilly since he hasn’t played a game in over a month.
In terms of lines for Thursday’s game, this is how they shaped out at practice Wednesday afternoon:

Leafs lines at practice
Bunting – Matthews – Jarnkrok Nylander – Tavares – Marner Kerfoot – O’Reilly – AcciariAston-Reese – Kampf – Lafferty Abruzzese, Simmonds
McCabe – Brodie Giordano – HollRielly – Schenn Gustafsson – Liljegren
SamsonovWoll @TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/mBniuKF55Z
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 5, 2023

What sticks out right away to me is that O’Reilly won’t be getting either one of William Nylander or Mitch Marner on his wings. Instead, he’ll have Alex Kerfoot and Noel Acciari on his sides, which could make for a great defe …

Read More

Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation