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http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/22/kessels-ice-time-falls
Phil Kessel runs during an off-ice workout Friday as only a few Leafs took to the ice at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke.
Phil Kessel runs during an off-ice workout Friday as only a few Leafs took to the ice at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke.
TORONTO - Is Leafs leading scorer Phil Kessel hurt or just bothered by routine nagging injuries?
Or has his sometime reluctance to play hard in both ends of the ice affected the opportunities thrown his way by coach Randy Carlyle?
For the past three games, Kessel has been averaging 15 minutes and change in ice time, more than three minutes below his season average.
Carlyle was not available to the media on Friday but here's what he said Thursday following the Maple Leafs' 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators when asked specifically whether Kessel is injured.
"I don't know, I think a lot of our players have bumps and bruises," Carlyle said. "They all have bumps and bruises and ailments. That's why we have maintenance days. It's difficult in some situations the bumps and bruises do pile up."
After the game against the Islanders on Tuesday -- in which Kessel scored two goals, by the way -- he declined to answer a question about a potential wrist injury after video from the game showed his right wrist wrapped in tape.