In Toronto, all eyes were on Auston Matthews last night, who took part in his first game since November 3rd. He did well in his return from injury, tallying two assists in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Unfortunately, the Maple Leafs had to watch another one of their players leave the game with an injury.
Since the season started, the injury bug has struck the Maple Leafs' lineup. In addition to Matthews, Calle Jarnkrok, Bobby McMann, David Kampf, Max Domi, and Max Pacioretty, it was now Jake McCabe's turn.
The Leafs were trying to kill a penalty when Nick Perbix fired the puck towards the net. McCabe blocked the shot but was hit in the neck by the puck.
He fell on the ice and left for the locker room.
Watch how it all went down here:
The Leafs confirmed a few minutes later that he wouldn't be back in the game due to an upper-body injury:
Receiving a puck to the neck can cause serious damage, but we won't know its extent until the Leafs share further details on McCabe's status.
An update on McCabe should be released before the start of their next game, tomorrow night, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fans hope that the player will be able to return soon. Alongside Chris Tanev, they formed the Leafs' shutdown duo, playing an important role in the team's success his season.
McCabe, 31 tallied five points in his first 23 games this season, with a +11 rating.