Zach Werenski will play, and goalie Joonas Korpisalo will initiate for the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sport 5 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Scotiabank Area on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, FS-O).
Werenski left with 9: 08 final in the third period of Sport 4 on Friday, a 4-3 time beyond law loss after the Maple Leafs scored three needs in 3: 34 of the third to rally from down 3-0.
As portion of the NHL Return to Play Procedure, a crew is no longer accredited to reveal player injury or sickness knowledge.
Werenski led NHL defensemen with 20 regular-season needs in 63 video games and has one aid in the Qualifiers while taking half in 26: 42 per sport.
Korpisalo began the first three video games of the supreme-of-5 series against Toronto and is 1-1 with a 2.05 needs-against sensible and .938 set share. He shut out the Maple Leafs 2-0 in the series opener, but became as soon as pulled in Sport 3 after 26: 38 with the Blue Jackets trailing 3-0 and became as soon as modified by Elvis Merzlikins, who didn’t allow a aim in the final 43: 35 as they rallied for a 4-3 time beyond law steal. Merzlikins began Sport 4.
Coach John Tortorella told the Blue Jackets radio network that Merzlikins is injured. Matiss Kivlenieks is projected to abet up Korpisalo.
“[Korpisalo] had a colossal yr earlier than his injury (in March),” defenseman Seth Jones stated. “He came and did some colossal things in this series for us. Whatever goalie is in the to find we’re gay and we’re confident and cosy with that. I do know he’ll comprise a colossal sport tonight.”
Defenseman Ryan Murray, who didn’t play in Sport 4, will return to the lineup for the Blue Jackets on Sunday. He has zero aspects in three video games in the series.
“Our defensive depth is a mountainous portion of our crew and gay that they’re abet in lineup,” Jones stated about Werenski and Murray. “They’re mountainous pieces offensively and defensively in all scenarios. They ought to gentle play a key portion in the steal.”
The Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs winner will attain to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the No. 7 seed from the Eastern Convention and face the Tampa Bay Lightning, the No. 2 seed, in the first round in Toronto, the Eastern hub metropolis. The loser can comprise a 12.5 percent probability of successful the No. 1 purchase in the 2020 NHL Draft in the 2nd Piece of the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday.
—Senior author Dan Rosen contributed to this file
