Following the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, head coach Craig Berube took to the podium that ensured the fanbase would sleep well that night — Jake McCabe is okay.

McCabe left the game with just over five minutes to play in the second period after blocking a shot that went off the back of his head in the ear area. He was shaken up and on the ice for a little bit but got up on his own accord and went to the dressing room. The Maple Leafs opted to keep him out of the game, which raised some alarm bells initially but was probably aided by the fact that they were leading 4-0 at that point. The Lightning made a push in the second period and scored three goals to get the game within one, further showing how important McCabe is to this defence.

The Maple Leafs have been hit with a barrage of injuries through the month of November, exclusively to their forward group. Matthews was the first to drop, returning to the lineup for his first game since Nov 2, with Matthew Knies, Max Domi, David Kampf, Bobby McMann, and Max Pacioretty all either currently on or having spent time on the injured reserve.

Throughout this bout of adversity, the Maple Leafs have played exceptionally well defensively in large part thanks to a back end that’s been able to stay completely healthy, so McCabe avoiding anything serious and having sights on playing Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks is the best case scenario for all involved. The team currently has the third-fewest goals-against-per-game with 2.59, and their penalty kill is top-10 in the league, too.

The Maple Leafs’ schedule is set to ramp up with four games next week, beginning with the Blackhawks on Monday and followed by the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, the Washington Capitals on Friday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.