Varlamov turned in a solid performance in a losing effort against the Oilers on Sunday, stopping 36 of the 39 shots he faced. The strong start was encouraging for Varlamov, who should see plenty of action so long as Jonathan Bernier (concussion) remains sidelined. He draws a good matchup tonight in Vancouver.
The Leafs were forced into making a decision on Soshnikov; they had a full roster and, upon activating Soshnikov from injured reserve, would have had to place one of Soshnikov, Josh Leivo, or Matt Martin on waivers. Soshnikov has 0 points in 3 games with the Maple Leafs this year, but has 17 in 19 games with the Marlies (AHL).
The Devils already announced that Schneider is expected to miss the rest of this week, so moving him to IR was a move made to create a roster spot to call Nick Lappin up from Binghamton (AHL).
The Leafs currently do not have an open roster spot for Soshnikov, which explains the delay in removing him from injured reserve. Once he is cleared they will be forced to either make a spot for him or risk losing him on waivers.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 11 shots after replacing Jonathan Bernier in Colorado’s blowout loss in St. Louis on Thursday. Varlamov has now given up five goals on 42 shots (.881 SV%) since returning from a groin injury last Saturday. In his first start vs. Carolina in 2017-18, Varlamov made a ridiculous 57 saves on 60 shots in a 5-3 win in early-November.
Mayfield left Monday’s game vs. Nashville after being hit with a P.K. Subban slap shot in the first period. The shot cause some significant damage as the defenseman is expected to miss one month. Expect him to be back in early-to-mid March.
After playing in the last two games, Reilly will serve as a healthy scratch tonight with Gustav Olofsson re-entering the lineup. Reilly was a minus-2 in 13:14 TOI in Dallas on Saturday and that is likely a big reason for sending him back to the press box tonight.
Cizikas has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury, but will be back in tonight vs. the Panthers. Cizikas will replace Ross Johnston and returns to the lineup with just 11 points (5G / 6A) in 40 games this season.
Varlamov was a full participant in Monday’s practice but won’t be available for Tuesday’s game. Varlamov will travel on their three-game road-trip and could play at some point over that stretch, but he will need to participate in at least one or two more practices before that becomes a reality.
