The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Timothy Liljegren for ‘significant time' after he was on the receiving end of a can opener from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in the first period of a 3-2 Bruins win.

“He's going to miss … it looks like significant time,” said Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe after the game. “We're not going to know for sure until we get him home and get a [scan]. It’s not short term at this point, the way it looks.”

It would be a brutal loss for the Leafs, as Liljegren has established himself as a key piece of the defensive unit and a top-four defenseman in 2023-24. Although Marchand wasn't penalized for the play, there is a chance the NHL's Department of Player Safety will still review the questionable play.

Keefe was not at all happy with referee Wes McCauley after the game.

“I got nothing. He just didn’t see the stick go in between his legs, a can opener, and you can go feet first into the boards in the most dangerous area of the ice.”

McCauley watched both players go into the boards, and chose not to call a penalty, likely much to the surprise of the fans in attendance at TD Garden on Thursday.

Timothy Liljegren needed to be helped off the ice, and was quickly ruled out of the remainder of the game at first intermission.

The Bruins ended up winning the contest in a shootout. The two Atlantic Division rivals will meet again in early December.