Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson to miss game against Canadiens

Toronto Maple Leafs veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be held out of the lineup Saturday versus the Atlantic Division rival Montreal Canadiens due to an undisclosed injury, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed Friday per Arun Srinivasan of The Leafs Nation.

Berube added that Ekman-Larsson’s injury status is considered day-to-day. Facing the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Ekman-Larsson finished with one shot and a plus-one rating through 25:14, his second-highest individual game ice time this season.

Skating in his first season with the Maple Leafs after agreeing to a four-year, $14-million deal in unrestricted free agency, Ekman-Larsson has made 77 appearances in which he has registered four goals and 25 assists for 29 points to rank second in scoring among Toronto blue-liners. With it, Ekman-Larsson has also recorded 52 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating while averaging 21:04 time on ice per game, third about Maple Leafs defensemen.

Originally chosen sixth overall by the former Arizona Coyotes in the 2009 NHL Draft, Ekman-Larsson has totaled 1,059 career contests counting stops with the Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, and Maple Leafs in which he has tallied 148 goals and 352 assists for 500 points.

A two-time 20-plus goal scorer with the Coyotes, the 2015-16 season witnessed the 33-year-old Swedish-born blue-liner put up a career-high 55 points counting 21 goals and 34 assists through 75 games. Ekman-Larsson has also added 14 points through 49 postseason appearances underscored by two goals and four assists in 24 games last spring to help the Panthers capture their first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

For the Maple Leafs, on the season the club sits atop the Atlantic Division with a 48-26-4 record and 100 points. Earlier this month, the Maple Leafs clinched their spot in the upcoming postseason, marking an NHL-leading ninth straight season in which the club will compete for the Stanley Cup.