Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev left Sunday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and won’t return after suffering an upper-body injury at the end of the first period.
Zaitsev was hit into the boards late in the first period by Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno. He appeared to be wobbly after the hit and left for the dressing room. The 25-year-old was on the Toronto bench to start the second but left shortly after.
Roman Polak also left the game briefly after becoming tangled up in front of Toronto’s net during the second period. He wasn’t on the bench to start the third, but returned about six minutes in.
The Leafs are already without goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was hit Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Mike Babcock said earlier Sunday that he expects Andersen to be ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto clinched a post-season berth Saturday night with a win over the Pens.
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