The limping Leafs will also lose Conor Timmins as their roster crisis mounts

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The Maple Leafs' list of absentees continued to grow Tuesday morning as they tried to assemble a full lineup for the St. Louis Blues and the remainder of a busy week.

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To further hamper a defense that will lose Morgan Rielly to a league suspension, Conor Timmins is suffering from mononucleosis – a debilitating condition that could see him sidelined for several days.

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Always a morning skater, Mark Giordano wasn't a favorite on Tuesday, but coach Sheldon Keefe said the 40-year-old was too concussed to start Saturday's game against Ottawa.

Rielly also announced goalkeeper Martin Jones, who suffered an undisclosed minor injury, to back up Ilya Samsonov on Tuesday in a 5-3 defeat in which Ridley headed Greig's header in the final seconds. Dennis Hildeby is called up from Marley.

Center David Kampf is back after a week off with an undisclosed issue, though Keefe said at least one more game time remains to be decided on the injury.

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Forward Kalle Jarnkrok (broken ankle) and goalkeeper Joseph Voll (ankle) are also out in addition to three long-term injured substitutes.

Rielly, a top-minute, top-scoring defenseman, presents the biggest hole on the power play.

“Anytime something like this happens, injury or otherwise, it's an opportunity for the team (to set an example), to get their attention,” Keefe said. “The team has done that very well in my time here. Last season we had some injuries on defense, guys came in and did a good job and everyone around them played well.

“There were more injuries on defense this season (led by John Klingberg in LTIR). We're not sure about our depth and the guys are doing a really good job for us. (Simon) Benoit didn't look back.

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“(Up front) Max Domi's best game came when we lost Auston Matthews. First, don't think too much that responsibility is something you can do. It's just going out and playing. For some, if you don't have time to rely on others, it can be useful for guys. And guys are happy with this opportunity. Whether it goes well or not, guys want to play.

“It's an opportunity for the team to come together and play better.”

William Lagesson will play his second game in the blue line on Tuesday and call-up Maxime Lajoie is likely to start soon. The Leafs play the Blues twice in less than a week, here and as part of their Western US tour.

Don't sleep on the Blues, who have won seven of their last eight with a 1-0 loss to Columbus, although Toronto's record against the Western Conference is more impressive this year than it has struggled at home.

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Interim coach Drew Bannister has led the Blues back into the wild-card playoff race, and Keefe said their offense and transition will pose their biggest challenges.

“Top guys like Jordan Kyrou on the right wing are at the top of the league in terms of opportunities that come up in a hurry. They have a lot in common with Ottawa, a lot of confidence and a lot of veterans on defense,” Keefe said.

Keefe's background is similar to Bannister's, whose history in Sault Ste. Marie and the Tampa Bay Lightning as projects. Bannister was an OHL force on defense and coached the Greyhounds immediately following his NHL days after Keefe left for the Marlies to work with the Leafs.

“We talked a lot,” Keefe said. “I'm excited to see him get his opportunity through the American League.”

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