Toronto Maple Leafs head caoch Randy Carlyle, back, directs his players, from front left, Leo Komarov, Mike Santorelli, Peter Holland and Sam Carrick against the Colorado Avalanche in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014.David Zalubowski/The Associated Press
The aftermath was much better than it could have been.
The Toronto Maple Leafs started Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche terribly, allowing a goal 31 seconds in.
And then the injuries started coming.
First, big winger Dan Winnik fell awkwardly on the side of his head, the result of a hit at the blueline by Avs defenceman Jan Hejda that sent Winnik end over end.
His head hit he ice, and he was unconscious as he slid across the ice. As the arena fell to a hush, the medical personnel put him on a stretcher and pulled him off the ice.
And, as they do, the game resumed.
Not long after, Leafs defenceman Jake Gardiner took a hard shot off the inside of his left knee, right where there's little equipment, and he limped off after only three minutes of ice time.
The optics weren't good.
The Leafs were down in the game, sure, but they were also down to five defencemen and 11 forwards early. And it appeared they might be missing two key players for a lot longer than just this night.
But, ultimately, they battled back in the game, coming away with a single point after losing in a shootout.
The better news then came in the dressing room afterward. Not only was Winnik up and alert, his coach declared he was "100 per cent fine."
"He says there's nothing wrong with him," Randy Carlyle said.
Gardiner, meanwhile, was diagnosed with only a "bone bruise," as the in-arena X-rays hadn't turned up anything broken.
Injury updates being what they are, more detailed ones likely won't be available until Friday afternoon at the earliest.
But the Leafs have back-to-back games this weekend against the Rangers and Senators, so even temporary absences will hurt. Toronto is already without David Booth, Joffrey Lupul and Brandon Kozun to injury and Carter Ashton to a PED-related suspension.
If Winnik can't play, they'll be down five forwards from training camp and well into their reserves like Sam Carrick and Matt Frattin.
If Gardiner can't go, they'll also need Stuart Percy to be better than he was in Thursday's loss.
The good news in all this is that the Leafs depth players had a fairly strong night against the Avs. Richard Panik, who has been very quiet and little used since being claimed off waivers from Tampa, had the tying goal with a minute to play and his best game overall as a Leaf.
Panik took some shifts with Nazem Kadri and Phil Kessel (whose two points against the Avs moved him to within one of the NHL scoring lead) late and didn't look out of place, ultimately leading the team in possession at 75 per cent.
It was a similarly a strong night for centres Peter Holland and Mike Santorelli, who deserve increased minutes after playing little at various points this year.
Against the Avs, Panik played nearly 15 minutes. Holland and Santorelli had almost 20.
Even if Winnik doesn't miss time, that's a good sign. The Leafs badly need to continue getting contributions from their third and fourth lines, as they aren't going to be able to rely on Kessel to score every game. (Only half of them.)
Especially given Kessel missed part of Thursday's game with an undisclosed injury issue of his own.
This weekend could ultimately be a good test of the organization's depth, in a sense. The concern will be that Carlyle leans too heavily on top players, as was the case last year when injuries hit.
But having some trust in the likes of Panik and Holland has paid off of late. They're young, they have room to grow and they'll need minutes to do so.
Now's the perfect time to find out what they can do.
Potential lines for Leafs if Winnik/Gardiner out
Panik - Kadri - Kessel
JVR - Bozak - Clarkson
Komarov - Holland - Santorelli
Leivo - Carrick - Frattin
Phaneuf - Franson
Percy - Polak
Rielly - Robidas
Bernier/Reimer