Jake McCabe's 600th NHL game took an unfortunate and scary turn Saturday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman left the game after being struck by a puck in the neck and head area.
The incident occurred in the second period during the Leafs' matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as Nick Perbix's shot deflected and caught McCabe unexpectedly.
McCabe immediately went down, holding the side of his face. Trainers quickly attended to him, and although he managed to skate off the ice under his own power, he did not return for the third period.
Shortly after the hit, the Maple Leafs announced McCabe's exit was due to an upper-body injury and ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
The extent of McCabe's injury isn't yet known, with further updates expected through Sunday and heading into Monday's game against Chicago.
The injury, however, comes at the worst possible time and adds to an endless stream of health problems impacting Toronto's lineup. According to ESPN, the Leafs have six players placed on Injured Reserve.
McCabe, 31, has been a reliable shutdown presence on the Leafs' blue line. He's contributed five points in 22 games while averaging 21:20 minutes of playing time per game, the most among Leafs defensemen.
Despite McCabe's absence, the Maple Leafs managed to hold on for a 5-3 win over the Lightning.
Matthew Knies opened the scoring in his return from injury, while Nicholas Robertson, Chris Tanev, John Tavares, and William Nylander also tallied goals.
On a positive note, Auston Matthews returned to the ice after missing nine games rehabbing his own injury and added two assists.
The Leafs (14-7-2, 30 points) will be back in action on Monday hosting the Blackhawks as they try to get over the Florida Panthers (15-9-1, 31 points) in the Atlantic Division standings.
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