The Toronto Maple Leafs are hanging in there so far against the Penguins in Pittsburgh, but Wednesday’s game could be costly. Joffrey Lupul got banged up during that contest, and various sources report that he won’t return.
Lupul took a Dion Phaneuf shot to the hand and also received a slash from Brooks Orpik during the same sequence, so the vague upper-body description seems more appropriate than usual.
Update: TSN reports that Lupul fractured his forearm. No word on the typical recovery time for such an ailment, but that doesn’t sound very promising.
Losing Phil Kessel’s partner-in-crime is worrisome enough, yet it must be that much more unsettling to see Lupul get banged up after signing a whopping five-year, $26.25 million contract extension on Sunday. He’s had a history of injury problems - Lupul was limited to 66 games last season - so it’s not like this came out of nowhere.
Again, though, there’s no word about the severity of the problem(s) just yet.
Hey, at least the Leafs are leading the Penguins 4-2 at the moment, right?