Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noel Acciari. Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Maple Leafs' Noel Acciari exits after taking awkward hit

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Steven Ellis | Last updated 3/17/23

Noel Acciari exited toward the end of the first period and didn’t return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday evening.

The Leafs announced Acciari would not return due to precautionary reasons after a hit from Carolina’s Jesse Puljujarvi.

Acciari was hit in the jaw by Puljujarvi with just 15 seconds to go in the opening frame. The two players saw each other coming, but Puljujarvi braced to hit Acciari, who didn’t seem ready for the hit in open ice. No penalty was called on the play.

the ref watching Puljujarvi interfere with Acciari doesn't call it pic.twitter.com/fnHSwP5xWB
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 17, 2023

The Leafs acquired the 31-year-old forward as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal. He has three points in 12 games for Toronto, including a pair against Edmonton last weekend. Acciari had 10 goals and 18 points in 54 games with St. Louis prior to the trade to Toronto.

The defensive forward has been part of Toronto’s strong fourth line with Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf. With the Leafs electing to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, Toronto’s fourth line had been one of the team’s more consistent groups, with Aston-Reese having one of his best games in a Leafs uniform with two goals on Friday.

If Acciari does miss any extra time, they could elect to call up Alex Steeves or Bobby McMann, both of whom have NHL experience this year with Toronto. For now, we’ll see what happens to Acciari, who has been a positive presence for Toronto after just a few weeks.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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