Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, playoffs.
After all they’ve been through, believe it or not, the Vancouver Canucks are back in the playoff race. And you can say it with a straight face.
The Canucks weren’t given much chance before COVID-19 ripped through their team, and even more people wrote them off after the outbreak.
But after most of their players were barely able to get out of bed last week, against all odds, the Canucks rattled off two consecutive victories over the North Division leading Toronto Maple Leafs.
“That’s why we play the game,” said Canucks head coach Travis Green. “A lot of people were thinking that we couldn’t win either one of these games. Our team’s here to win.”
Icon Sportswire / Getty
Hyman exited the game and didn t return. Edler was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct on the play.
#Canucks Alex Edler 5 minute major + game misconduct for this knee on #LeafsForever Zach Hyman
This marks the third time Edler has been suspended during his 15-year NHL career. He missed three games for a hit to the head of San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl during the 2013-14 campaign.
The 34-year-old was also suspended while representing Sweden at the 2013 world championships for kneeing Canadian forward Eric Staal. The ban carried over to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, causing Edler to miss the opening contest of the tournament.
Hyman s likely return before playoffs a sigh of relief for Maple Leafs
Justin Bourne joined Sportsnet Central and talked about Nick Foligno being in a position to step up for the Maple Leafs in the absence of Zach Hyman. | April 19, 2021, 9:19 PM
April 19, 2021, 9:19 PM
The sigh you heard?
That was a sigh of relief after the Toronto Maple Leafs officially got word about Zach Hyman’s likely return before the playoffs. While there may have been more optimism inside the team’s dressing room than among fans who saw Hyman limp down the tunnel following a knee-on-knee collision Sunday night, his status was very much up in the air pending the results of a Monday MRI.
Sportsnet
After missing multiple weeks of action due to COVID-19, Alex Edler will miss the next two games.
The NHL has suspended the Vancouver Canucks defenceman two games for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman. The incident occurred midway through the second period of Sunday night’s game, resulting in Edler receiving a major penalty and a game misconduct.
Hyman left the game and didn’t return, after the knee-on-knee contact. Edler was fatigued, caught on the ice for a three-minute shift, and hung his leg out to get a piece of the Leafs forward who made a move to get around him.
Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors | By Zach Leach | Last updated 4/19/21
The Maple Leafs don’t even have trade-deadline acquisition Nick Foligno on the active roster yet, but Toronto is already glad that it added some forward depth. Head coach Sheldon Keefe has informed the media, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, that forward Zach Hyman has suffered a sprained MCL, the result of a knee-to-knee hit on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks that earned Alex Edler a two-game suspension. Hyman is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks.
By all accounts, this is actually the best prognosis that Hyman could have expected. The knee injury he suffered looked serious, both in terms of the actual collision and because Hyman had to be helped off the ice. The possibility that he could return by the end of the month or even early next month is an ideal result for the Leafs, all things considered. However, if the recovery takes longer th