TORONTO - When the Maple Leafs acquired James van Riemsdyk last June, the conventional thinking was that the big winger would play with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul.
In a round-about, sort-of way, that looks like it will happen on Tuesday night in Buffalo.
Not with Lupul, mind you, as the winger is nursing a fractured forearm and won’t be in the lineup any time soon.
But van Riemsdyk could help light the goal-scoring fuse under Kessel, who has yet to hit paydirt through the Leafs’ first five games of the abbreviated 2012-13 regular season.
With Lupul out of the picture for the time being and Clarke MacArthur dealing with the pain, swelling and infection worries that come with losing a fingernail, van Riemsdyk practised with Kessel and centre Tyler Bozak on Monday in preparation for Ryan Miller and the rest of the Sabres.
