Injury Report: Babcock updates media on Gardiner injury

Last night’s victory for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Columbus Blue Jackets was a bittersweet one for the team. Sure goaltender Frederik Andersen performed like a Vezina Trophy candidate once again and center Nazem Kadri had the performance of a lifetime with three goals and five points, but much more important to the team today is the loss of defenceman Jake Gardiner. 

The smooth skating blue liner left the game and did not return with what Leafs head coach Mike Babcock described as “spasms”.

No update yet on Gardiner’s status for Saturday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s likely that he’ll sit out tomorrow’s practice, if only for precautionary reasons. 

If it turns out that Gardiner can’t go, it’s likely that the Leafs recall rookie Justin Holl from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. “If they needed someone to step in right away… he would be an obvious choice,” reports TSN’s Kristen Shilton.