Captain Mikael Backlund suffered a lower-body injury on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks and had to exit early. He never returned and is listed as week-to-week, per Daily Faceoff. This is far from ideal considering the playoff race is heating up. The Flames are currently holding the second Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.

Mikael Backlund is week to week for the Flames with an upper-body injury. The forward was injured in the first period of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.

For the better part of the last decade, Mikael Backlund has been one of the most important players for the Calgary Flames. He’s first over the boards in virtually every game situation, and he’s routinely matched up against the top players on opposing National Hockey League teams.