Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin out for remainder of series vs. Blue Jackets
The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a huge blow to their blue line during Tuesday night's matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Defenseman Jake Muzzin was injured on a collision during the final moments of the third period in Game 2 of the qualifying round at Scotiabank Arena and had to be stretchered off the ice and taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
With the Maple Leafs on the penalty kill, Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois cross-checked Muzzin from behind as he was about to go around the back of his own net.
Muzzin, who went down to a knee, appeared to hit a rut in the ice as he tried to get up and ended up colliding awkwardly with Columbus' Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that although Muzzin has returned to the team's hotel, he'll be out for the remainder of the series against the Blue Jackets as a result of his injury.
Muzzin's injury is unspecified, though it appears he suffered a neck/head injury when watching the video of the collision.
The 31-year-old was acquired by the Maple Leafs via trade with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2018-19 season in order to help strengthen their blue line. Since joining Toronto, Muzzin has tallied 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points in 83 games played.
In 17 games without Muzzin, the Maple Leafs went 8-5-4.
As for who could fill in for Muzzin, it appears Morgan Rielly may slide up to the first defense pairing while Martin Marincin or Rasmus Sandin could slot in on the third pairing.
Toronto defeated Columbus 3-0 in Game 2, and with the series tied at 1-1, a critical Game 3 is set for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
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