As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs will indeed start Jonathan Bernier in net against the St. Louis Blues in Tuesday’s big game.
(It might be fair to call every Maple Leafs game “big” going forward, but we’ll see.)
Bernier, 25, has been sidelined since injuring himself (or at least re-aggravating an injury) on March 13. James Reimer has struggled in Bernier’s absence, to say the least, but it’s unlikely that Bernier will be eased into action as the Buds face the Blues.
Bernier is 25-16-7 with a .925 save percentage and 2.61 GAA this season. He predicted that the Maple Leafs’ shot disparities might come back to haunt them earlier this season, yet he’s also been a big reason why they’ve often been able to win despite the imbalance.
He’ll face Ryan Miller in the nets tonight, which prompted this bewildering bit from the Maple Leafs’ official feed:
The Hobos of the Honeycombed Hideouts are Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/5i40YjyYGr
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 25, 2014
Eh?
Update: The team confirmed that Drew MacIntyre was demoted to the AHL.
#TMLtalk RT @LeafsPR: #Leafs have reassigned goalie Drew MacIntyre to the #Marlies today.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 25, 2014