Saturday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 after going into double overtime. While the game two victory was a huge one it did come at a costly price for Toronto. Defensemen Roman Polak will be out for the rest of the post-season after injuring his right leg.
Roman Polak Out for the Post-Season
Polak’s injury came during a collision with Capitals Brooks Orpik in the second period. He stayed on the ice until helped off by teammates and Leafs training staff. Polak will have surgery on his right leg today.
Roman Polak is having surgery on his right leg today.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 18, 2017
Reason for concern
Polak’s injury will be a big blow to Toronto as he was a big part of their roster appearing in 75 games during the regular season. The Maple Leafs penalty kill will also be affected by the injury as Polak was constantly on the ice when they were a man down. Another reason this is a big blow to Toronto is because defensemen Nikita Zaitsev has just returned from missing the opening two games of the playoffs. Zaitsev did not look like his usual self in game three, with the Capitals taking advantage and scoring two goals with him on the ice early in the game. The Leafs would ultimately come back and win another overtime game though.
Polak’s injury means that Martin Marincin remained in the Leafs lineup. He originally took Zaitsev’s spot on the blue line.
The big concern for Toronto fans is will this injury effect their surprising performance so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Maple Leafs are currently leading their series with Washington 2-1, their only loss being in the first game.
Main Photo:
TORONTO, CANADA – OCTOBER 02: Chris Terry #15 of the Montreal Canadiens skates with Roman Polak #46 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL preseason game at Air Canada Centre on October 2, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) .
