Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak leaves game with leg injury (video)

As the Toronto Maple Leafs try to upset the Washington Capitals, they’ll probably be doing it without defenseman Roman Polak.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a triumphant return to the NHL playoffs, and they jumped out to 2-0 lead in Game 1 against the Washington Capitals before losing in overtime. Game 2 has been closely contested, and fairly penalty-ridden at times.

Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev was scratched for Game 2 due to an upper body injury that also kept him out of Game 1. Fellow blue liner Roman Polak suffered a lower body injury in Toronto’s regular season finale against Columbus, but he played in Game 1 against the Capitals without incident while logging nearly 24 minutes of ice time.

But Polak would not emerge from Game 2 unscathed. After an awkward hit near the boards from Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, Polak landed awkwardly and suffered what looks like a very bad injury.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but here’s a look at the play Polak was injured on.

Here’s another, better angle.

Polak had to be helped off the ice, and he could not put weight on his right leg. The exact nature of his injury is not yet known, but the awkward twist of Polak’s lower leg and ankle and his body weight falling on it means an extended absence is probably coming.

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Any announcement from the team or head coach Mike Babcock will surely just say Polak suffered a “lower body injury,” with no definite word on his status one way or the other. But anyone that saw it knows it Polak is probably out for the rest of the first round series against the Capitals, and perhaps longer if Toronto advances, unless he miraculously avoided a major injury.