The Maple Leafs organization and their fans must be clutching the closest thing to The Holy Bible they can find on Monday night after starting goaltender Frederik Andersen did not return for the 2nd period against the Florida Panthers.
Andersen has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with what is currently believed to be an upper-body injury. This would be absolutely catastrophic for Leafs Nation, as the Buds have just pushed their way back into the playoff picture with a 2-1 win over the Sens on Saturday night.
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The netminder was the victim of a hard collision in the first period when Panthers forward Frank Vatrano and Leafs defender Jake Muzzin were battling hard for position while heading toward the Leafs' crease. Muzzin seemed to have forced Vatrano onto the ice, sending him sliding feet first into Freddie, who could not avoid taking the worst of the collision. Muzzin also appears to have made some contact on his fly-by as well, which may actually have been the blow that did the damage.
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As Andersen has previously been concussed, that is the obvious concern in this case, but until the team's medical staff confirms it, it will remain classified as a UBI.
The Leafs play again on Wednesday evening, so hopefully an update on Andersen's status will be made available ahead of time.
