The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and they also face the possibility of losing forward Shawn Matthias to injury.
Maple Leafs defenseman Stephane Robidas caught Matthias with an elbow to the head late in the second period, knocking Matthias out of the game. He did not return and the Canucks lost by a final score of 5-2.
Goalie Ryan Miller was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots.
The Canucks, who play Sunday in Ottawa, didn’t have an update on the status of Matthias from head coach Willie Desjardins afterward.
Robidas was given a minor penalty for elbowing, and the NHL Department of Player Safety, as of Saturday evening, had not yet announced if there would be any further discipline in this case.
Robidas has been suspended only once since coming into the league in the 1999-2000 season. He received a one-game ban in October of 2010, according to TSN.ca.
“I didn’t mean to hurt the guy,” Robidas said, as per The Canadian Press. “I just hope he’s fine. They called (me) for elbowing. I didn’t mean to hurt him, and I just hope he’s OK.”
“I try to play physical ... I don’t try to hurt people, that’s not what I’m trying to do. The play happened fast and I tried to close on him. … It’s one of those where I just felt awful.”