Leafs separate Tavares, Nylander; keep D pairings for Game 5

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be shuffling forward lines once again ahead of Game 5 of their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ilya Mikheyev and Alexander Kerfoot joined John Tavares on the team's second line at Tuesday's morning skate, while William Nylander was on the third line with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall. With Kerfoot moving down the lineup, Michael Bunting rejoined the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

The Maple Leafs, however, appear to be dressing the same roster as Game 4, with Jason Spezza, Colin Blackwell and Ondrej Kase forming the fourth forward line and the defence pairs unchanged.

Leafs lines at Game 5 morning skate Bunting - Matthews - Marner Mikheyev - Tavares - Kerfoot Nylander - Kampf - Engvall Spezza - Blackwell - Kase Clifford, Simmonds, Anderson Rielly - Lyubushkin Muzzin - Brodie Giordano - Holl Sandin - Liljegren Campbell starts@TSN_Edge

Tavares has yet to register a point at 5-on-5 in the series and said after Game 4 he was hoping to become more involved offensively.

"I haven't been able to produce offensively as I'd like," he said after the 7-3 blowout loss. "I would still like to create more."

"He's working, he's trying," head coach Sheldon Keefe weighed in. "It's a tough series out there."

Keefe brushed off criticism of his decision to dress defenceman Justin Holl after Game 4, and appears set to use the same defence pairings for a third straight game as Timothy Liljegren - who dressed in Games 1 and 2 - and Rasmus Sandin skated as extras Tuesday morning.

"He doesn’t get the love he deserves,” Marner said of Hall on Tuesday.

Full lineup from Tuesday's morning skate:

Bunting - Matthews - Marner Mikheyev - Tavares - Kerfoot Nylander - Kampf - Engvall Spezza -