Giordano played just 3:09 before leaving the game in the first period with a head injury.

Mark Giordano has a head injury after slamming into the boards in the first period, says Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.

In just his fourth shift of the game, Giordano joined the rush with Pontus Holmberg and got a stick on the pass from the forward before sliding hard into the end boards. He stayed down for a few minutes before getting helped off the ice by Morgan Rielly and one of the team's trainers.

This is just Giordano's second game back with the Maple Leafs since being away from the team for five games because of the sudden death of his father. The 40-year-old has averaged the fifth-most ice time of all defensemen in Toronto this season with 17:03.

In the second period, without Giordano, the Maple Leafs had Mitch Marner taking shifts on the back end, which he's done a few times before.

Giordano has one goal and six assists through 37 games with the Maple Leafs this season. The defenseman is in the final season of a two-year, $1.6 million deal signed in May 2022.

Related

'I Talked To A Lot Of Teams, Toronto Wasn't The Only One': Coyotes' Matt Dumba Discusses Maple Leafs' Interest Last Summer, Why He Signed With Coyotes

'I'll Be Better In That Area': Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Fined $25K by NHL, Acknowledges Improvement Needed When Speaking with Referees

'He's Preparing to Play': Maple Leafs to Activate Joseph Woll From Long-Term Injured Reserve Ahead of Game Against Coyotes and Why They Will Carry 3 Goaltenders on Their Active Roster

News from THN.com

NHL Young Guns on the Rise Ahead of Series 2 Release, Brought to You By Upper Deck

Penguins Winger Jake Guentzel a Hot Commodity in the NHL Trade Market

The Morning Take: Connor Bedard Might Have Been Drafted By the Vancouver Canucks Had the NHL Adopted the PWHL's 'Gold Plan'