Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Sabres lose Larsson, Kaleta to head injuries, Leafs’ Booth out too (Update: Franson’s hurt)

kaletapatrickgetty

Regardless of who wins Sunday’s preseason game between Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs, neither side is likely to feel particularly good.

Buffalo lost forwards Johan Larsson and Patrick Kaleta both left the game in the first period due to head injuries and won’t return, per the Sabres’ official Twitter account.

Kaleta was was nailed in the head halfway through the first period by Morgan Rielly’s slap shot. He immediately skated off the ice while quickly discarding his gloves and helmet, per PHT’s Dhiren Mahiban.

Larsson caught Petter Granberg’s elbow in the final minute of the opening frame. It looked like he was bleeding as a result. There was no penalty on the play.

Meanwhile, Toronto announced that forward David Booth has been shut down due to a lower-body injury. He logged 9:19 minutes tonight.

The severity of the three injuries is not yet known. Kaleta and Larsson are both in the running to make the Sabres’ opening game roster. Booth is trying to turn his career around after a disappointing and injury-riddled tenure with Vancouver.

Update: Maybe both sides should just agree to end this one early:

Cody Franson is helped to the #Leafs dressing room after taking a hit from Torrey Mitchell. #TMLtalk

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 29, 2014

Follow @RyanDadoun