Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Practicing on power play
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Gustafsson was quarterbacking the second power-play unit at practice Saturday, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports.
Gustafsson was also practicing on the fourth defense unit, so he isn't a lock to dress Sunday for Game 3 in Florida. The Maple Leafs could add him to the lineup and go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as Matthew Knies will miss the game with a concussion suffered in Game 2. Gustafsson has played only once in the postseason, seeing 7:38 of action in Game 6 versus Tampa Bay. He had seven goals and 35 assists in 70 regular-season games this season.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Good to play Saturday
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Gustafsson (upper body) is slated to return for Game 6 against Tampa Bay on Saturday, according to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star.
Gustafsson last played April 8 due to the injury. He had seven goals and 42 points in 70 regular-season contests between Washington and Toronto. The Maple Leafs are projected to use seven defensemen Saturday, so forward Sam Lafferty is expected to be a healthy scratch.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Out again
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Gustafsson (upper body) won't play Thursday versus the Lightning in Game 5, NHL.com's Dave McCarthy reports.
Gustafsson will miss his eighth straight game. With the Maple Leafs ahead 3-1 in the series, it's unclear how much of this is a lingering injury and how much is the team not wanting to mess with a winning formula. It's safe to assume Gustafsson will be out indefinitely until more information is available.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Remains out for Game 3
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Gustafsson (upper body) won't play in Saturday's Game 3 versus the Lightning, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Gustafsson is set to miss his sixth straight game. The 31-year-old defenseman had four assists in nine games after he was traded from the Capitals to the Maple Leafs. Toronto has depth on the blue line, so it doesn't need to rush the 31-year-old back.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Out again Thursday
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Gustafsson (upper body) won't play in Thursday's Game 2 versus the Lightning, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Gustafsson will miss his fifth straight game with the injury. It's not clear when he'll be ready to play, so he should be considered day-to-day ahead of Game 3 on Saturday.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Won't return Thursday
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Gustafsson (upper body) will miss Thursday's game against the Rangers, according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated.
It will be Toronto's third straight contest without Gustafsson. He has seven goals and 42 points in 70 outings this season. Gustafsson registered three assists in a 7-1 victory over Montreal on Saturday, which was his last appearance before getting hurt.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Won't play Tuesday
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Gustafsson (upper body) won't play Tuesday versus Tampa Bay, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Gustafsson will miss his second consecutive contest after being a late scratch for Monday's 2-1 overtime win against Florida. Conor Timmins will suit up in Tuesday's matchup with the Lightning.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Out Monday
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Gustafsson (upper body) will not play Monday against Florida, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Gustafsson was a late scratch after leaving early during Monday's warmups. An update on his status should be available before Tuesday's tilt with the Lightning. He'll be replaced by Luke Schenn during Monday's game.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Power-play monster Saturday
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Gustafsson delivered three assists in a 7-1 win over Montreal on Saturday.
All three came on the power play. Gustafsson played 19:42, including 4:10 with the man advantage, in a game where both Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie sat out due to rest. Gustafsson was brought into Toronto to help run the power play if Rielly ever went down, but his ice time may be limited otherwise. Nice night, though.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Rejoining team Tuesday
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Gustafsson (personal) will be back with the team Tuesday and will take the warmup but won't play versus Columbus, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Gustafsson was a healthy scratch a handful of times with the Leafs, so this shouldn't come as a complete surprise. In his last eight contests, the 31-year-old blueliner has tallied just one assist and seven shots despite averaging 1:29 of ice time with the man advantage. Barring any setbacks, Gustafsson will likely suit up versus the Bruins on Thursday, though he hasn't been officially confirmed as playing.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Still away from team
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Gustafsson (personal) is still away from the team, Mark Masters of TSN reports.
Gustafsson, who has been available for the past two games after traveling back to Washington for a personal matter, is poised to miss another contest Wednesday against Florida. He has picked up one assist, seven shots on goal and six blocked shots in eight outings with the Leafs since being acquired from the Capitals.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Not playing Saturday
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Gustafsson is not with the Maple Leafs on Saturday and won't play against the Hurricanes as he is dealing with a personal matter, David Alter of Sports Illustrated reports.
Gustafsson went to Washington for a family matter. He was dealt from the Capitals at the trade deadline. Gustafsson has an assist in eight games with the Maple Leafs after scoring seven goals and adding 31 helpers in 61 games with Washington before the trade.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Gets first point with new team
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Gustafsson recorded an assist in Friday's 5-2 win over the Hurricanes.
This was the the first point in six games for Gustafsson following his trade from the Capitals. The journeyman's best season was in 2018-19, when he dropped 60 points in 79 games for the Blackhawks, but the constant shuffling between teams has made it tough for him to reach new heights offensively. Worse yet, his TOI has dropped to 14:06 since being traded to Toronto after he registered 20:22 TOI and a 38-point output with the Caps.
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Maple Leafs' Erik Gustafsson: Acquired in swap
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Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick were traded to the Leafs from the Capitals in exchange for Rasmus Sandin on Tuesday.
Gustafsson has excelled in a more offensive role for the Caps this season following the injury to John Carlson (face). In 61 games this year, the 30-year-old Gustafsson has generated seven goals and 31 assists, including 11 power-play points. With his new club, Gustafsson should be in the mix for power-play minutes, though the acquisition of Jake McCabe has created a crowded blue line for Toronto.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Second on team in assists
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Gustavsson picked up three assists in a 6-3 loss to Florida on Thursday.
Gustafsson now has 26 assists, second to Evgeni Kuznetsov (36) on the Capitals. He's having the best season of his career since his 60-point season in Chicago in 2018-19. Gustafsson has flaws in his on-ice game, but his fantasy production can be exceptional when he's given the opportunity to be the top offensive option. He's on a near 50-point pace right now and will continue to play maestro for the Caps' offense until John Carlson (face) returns later in the season.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Puts up helper
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Gustafsson notched an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Sharks.
Gustafsson's gone 12 games without a goal, but he's managed five assists and 29 shots on net in that span. The 30-year-old defenseman is up to 30 points, 102 shots on net, 50 blocked shots, 45 hits and a plus-8 rating through 54 contests. He continues to serve as the Capitals' top offensive defenseman with John Carlson (face) sidelined.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Provides assist in loss
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Gustafsson notched an assist and three shots on goal in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Gustafsson set up a T.J. Oshie tally late in the second period. With four points over his last eight games, Gustafsson's offense has started to come back down after an impressive two-week burst in December. He's up to seven goals, 20 assists, 86 shots on net, 44 blocked shots, 36 hits and a plus-11 rating through 48 contests overall.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Garners helper Monday
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Gustafsson provided an assist and three shots on goal in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders.
Gustafsson is up to three points through seven games in January, a significant downturn after he closed December on a seven-game, 13-point streak. He's still seeing premium minutes for scoring chances while John Carlson (face) is out of action. Gustafsson has seven goals, 19 helpers, 81 shots on net, 42 blocked shots, 36 hits and a plus-11 rating through 45 appearances this season.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Scores in win
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Gustafsson scored the lone goal Sunday in a 1-0 victory over the Blue Jackets.
Gustafsson's goal early in the first period, a long-range wrist shot that got past a screened Elvis Merzlikins, would stand as the game-winner in the 1-0 victory. With the tally Sunday, Gustafsson has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in his last 11 contests. The 30-year-old blueliner has emerged as an offensive threat in Washington this season with seven goals and 18 assists through 42 games.
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Capitals' Erik Gustafsson: Seven-game, 13-point streak
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Gustafsson had a goal and two assists in a 9-2 win over Montreal on Saturday.
His goal came quick Saturday when he worked a give-and-go with Evgeny Kuznetsov and scored from the left face-off circle just 32 seconds into the game. Gustafsson is on a seven-game, 13-point streak (six goals, seven assists) and he'll continue to get a lot of offensive opportunities with John Carlson (face) still out.
