BOSTON - With Jonas Gustavsson on the mend following his second minor heart surgery since September, coach Ron Wilson is putting the hot hand and pads back in the net.
Wilson said today that Joey MacDonald, who had a strong game in Columbus on Thursday on the heels of his split shutout with Gustavsson in Montreal on Tuesday will get the call tomorrow when the Leafs face the Bruins here at the TD Banknorth Garden.
“Right now we’re feeling good about ourselves,” Wilson said following a brisk morning pracitce. “It’s all about winning. Joey’s in a groove right now and we’re going to go with him tomorrow.”
Preliminary reports are that Gustavsson’s surgery this morning in Toronto - a procedure known as an ablation - went well and that he should be able to return to the team within 10 days.
“He had the procedure today and the report we got is the doctors are confident that they fixed everything,” Wilson said. “So we don’t think it’s going to be an issue any more.”
The big news here, of course, is the return of Phil Kessel who will meet his former team for the first time tomorrow night.
“I don’t think he’ll be nervous but he will be anxious,” Wilson said of Kessel, who had a pair of goals in the 6-3 win over Columbus to give him 10 on the season. “He doesn’t know what to expect from the fans. Nobody wants to be booed or harrassed. We’re human and we all want to be liked. There has to be a little emotion involved, but I don’t think it will effect how he plays.”
