The Toronto Maple Leafs had already dug themselves into a hole in Calgary, and then they lost one of their most productive wings on the night.
Kirill Marchenko left Monday’s game against the Flames with a lower-body injury after taking a hit from Calgary forward Yegor Sharangovich and falling awkwardly into the boards in Toronto’s attacking zone. The Maple Leafs said later in the evening that the 26-year-old was injured in the second period. He headed straight down the tunnel toward the dressing room in visible discomfort.
At that point, Calgary was ahead 3-0, with goals from Matvei Gridin and Mikael Backlund helping build the cushion. Marchenko had already logged 7:05 of ice time across eight shifts before exiting at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Toronto has leaned heavily on Marchenko since acquiring him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in late September. He came into Monday’s game with six goals and 14 points in 13 appearances for the Leafs, and he had settled quickly into a major role on the club’s No. 1 power-play unit. At even strength, he had also been skating on a line with William Nylander.
The 6’3″ right wing was originally a second-round pick by Columbus, going No. 49 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. After becoming one of the top players in the KHL with SKA St.
Petersburg, he crossed to North America with the Blue Jackets in 2022. Then, on the eve of what would have been his fifth season in Columbus, he was dealt to Toronto with Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins in a trade that sent a package headlined by Matthew Knies the other way.
Across 306 career NHL games spanning parts of five seasons with Columbus and Toronto, Marchenko has produced 108 goals and 222 points. He has not appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
The Leafs came into the night riding a four-game winning streak, and even after falling behind 3-0 by the opening minute of the second period, they kept pushing. Without Marchenko, they pulled within one goal midway through the third period.
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