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Leafs expect Tyler Bozak to play in Game 1 vs. Bruins

Print | Comments () Posted by Michael Vega, Globe Staff May 1, 2013 12:54 PM

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By Michael Vega, Globe Staff

After missing the last two regular-season games with an upper-body injury suffered last Wednesday at Tampa Bay, Toronto's top centerman, Tyler Bozak, is expected to be back in the lineup for the Maple Leafs Wednesday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Bruins.

Bozak, who centers Toronto's top line between James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel, tied for fifth in team scoring this season with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists). During Wednesday's morning skate at TD Garden, Bozak, 27, said nothing was going to keep him from making the first NHL playoff appearance of his career.

"No, not really,'' said Bozak, who practiced taking faceoffs with former Northeastern coach Greg Cronin, now an assistant with the Leafs, who dropped the puck. "We've worked hard as a group and as a team in here, and there’d be nothing worse than having to sit back and watch the most important time of the year.

"I’m excited that I healed up quicker and I’m just excited to get this under way. It’s going to be a fun experience.''