Ryan O’Reilly had successful finger surgery, missing for four weeks

The Toronto Maple Leafs head coach announced that center Ryan O’Reilly underwent successful finger surgery Tuesday morning, and his return timeline is four weeks.

O’Reilly’s schedule calls for him to return on April 4, when the Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. That means he’ll miss about 13 games with the injury and give him about six games to get back into the lineup and get used to the team again heading into the playoffs.

O’Reilly was injured in the final minute of the second period when he blocked an Auston Matthews shot midway through a two-minute shift for the forward. O’Reilly had 11:10 of ice time with a shot, a takeout and a few game wins when he left the game. The Leafs were leading 1-0 when he came off, but a third goal that included two shorthanded Canucks goals on the same penalty kill gave the Canucks a 4-1 win.

O’Reilly had a slightly worse season with just 15 goals, 9 assists and 24 points in 47 games, although much of the lack of points was due to his teammates’ bad luck with the St. Louis despite his death. capacity still being at a normal level. That said, he also has three goals, two assists and five points in eight games with the Leafs.

Captain John Tavares will also miss Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, meaning the Leafs roster will see a bit of a shake-up in that game. Pontus Holmberg and Alexander Steeves have been called up from the Toronto Marlies to slot into the lineup on the fourth line, while Calle Jarnkrok and Sam Lafferty move up to the second line with William Nylander.

The Leafs are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 38-17-8 record. O’Reilly’s loss will be significant for them, as they’re wasting a lot of valuable time to give him some chemistry with the Leafs’ roster ahead of their likely first-round rematch against the Tampa Bay Lightning.