"The Toronto Maple Leafs won their fifth straight came at the Columbus Blue Jackets thanks to the herculean 54-save effort by goaltender Frederik Andersen. However, the Leafs had to play most of the game with just five defensemen, which could help explain the 57 shots on goal that were allowed. Jake Gardiner left the game with a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return. «They just told me he's got some sort of… I don't even know what happened, to tell you the truth,» head coach Mike Babcock said after the game, per Maple Leafs Hot Stove. «They just told me he's got some sort of lower-body thing. He's got some kind of spasm or something like that, and they just couldn't get it to relax, or whatever. They wouldn't let him come back.» The Maple Leafts have the day off today, so we won't get a better idea on Gardiner's condition until they return to the ice on Friday. Babcock said Gardiner tried to play through his «sort of spasm,» but couldn't make a go of it. Gardiner's recent hot streak has him second on the team with 31 assists. He has a goal and 13 assists in his last 13 games while averaging well over 21 minutes per night so hopefully this is not a serious injury. "
