Maple Leafs could be absent Liljegren against Golden Knights

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There’s a chance Timothy Liljegren won’t be patrolling the Maple Leafs blue line on Tuesday.

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The 24-year-old defenceman was absent from practice on Monday as the Leafs prepared to play host to the Vegas Golden Knights, a match that starts a five-game home stand for Toronto.

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“He got banged up the other night (in Colorado against the Avalanche),” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He left the bench a couple of times in the third period and wasn’t able to finish the game. It just needs a little more time to settle down. In terms of his availability for (Tuesday night), it’s up in the air, so we’ll see where he’s at when we come to the rink (in the morning). He’s not ruled out.”

Veteran Mark Giordano practised for the first time following the sudden passing of his father, Paul Giordano. Whether Giordano plays on Tuesday is dependent on the status of Liljegren, Keefe said.

Giordano has not played since the Leafs’ overtime win against Philadelphia on Feb. 15 and has missed the past five games.

At practice at the Ford Performance Centre, Morgan Rielly was paired with Simon Benoit, Jake McCabe was with T.J. Brodie and Giordano skated with William Lagesson.

The Leafs returned defenceman Max Lajoie to the Toronto Marlies on Sunday.

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