The Leafs skated out of Pittsburgh with a 5-2 victory over the Penguins, getting two James van Riemsdyk goals and the first of the season for Mikhail Grabovski.
But Joffrey Lupul played only 9:40 of that victory, and won’t be playing for a while: Coach Randy Carlyle confirmed that Lupul fractured his forearm and is out indefinitely.
Lupul’s injury occurred after being hit with a shot from captain Dion Phaneuf, leaving the ice at 9:02 of the second period.
Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun caught up with the Leafs captain, who said: “It’s a big loss for our team. He's huge for us up front."
Because the Hockey Gods are cruel and unyielding, the injury occurs days after Lupul signed a 5-year, $26.25-million extension with the Leafs. It was a contract he earned while riding shotgun with Phil Kessel, as well as for being one of the most productive forwards in the NHL when healthy.
Key words: When healthy. Be it due to illness or injury, Lupul's seemingly been out more than he's been in during this career.
The Leafs just saw 25 goals and 67 points leave their lineup indefinitely. Now, what does that mean for Kessel in his absence?
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