The Montreal Canadiens are taking a beating from the compressed schedule. It is not a secret. None of that will matter come next week. However, a need to get healthy is now becoming more and more of a priority. This is because the hits keep on coming as far as the injuries.
Just think about this fact. The NHL Playoffs start for Montreal sometime in the next week. It is all but a formality that the Canadiens will be one of the four teams from the North Division. Now, what is not known is whether they will be a three or four seed.
Injuries Rearing Their Ugly Head For The Montreal Canadiens
Again, there are some players that will have more updates as the week go on so bear with us as we do a little more digging than usual. It is going to be a weird sort of week with the schedule.
Brendan Gallagher (thumb) — It is crazy to think this but the Montreal Canadiens are averaging a hair less than two goals per game without Gallagher in the lineup. This is more than his 14 goals and more about all the other intangibles he provides. What is known is this. Gallagher is on schedule to return by the third week of May or so. That would be six weeks from April 7th or about May 19th. Give or take a few days depending on his progress in practices. The good thing is the fact that Gallagher will be able to practice fully with the team soon enough. He is day-to-day at least which means Brendan Gallagher is getting close.
Carey Price (concussion) — Again, the goaltender is still practicing as he progresses through the concussion protocol. Let’s make one thing clear. Price has not passed any final testing yet to be cleared. There cannot be a timetable just yet until he makes more tangible progress.
| Scor | Scor | Scor | Scor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Age | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 1 | Tyler Toffoli | 28 | C | 51 | 28 | 16 | 44 |
| 2 | Jeff Petry | 33 | D | 54 | 12 | 30 | 42 |
| 3 | Nick Suzuki | 21 | C | 54 | 13 | 26 | 39 |
| 4 | Tomas Tatar | 30 | LW | 48 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| 5 | Josh Anderson | 26 | RW | 51 | 17 | 7 | 24 |
| 6 | Phillip Danault | 27 | C | 53 | 5 | 19 | 24 |
| 7 | Brendan Gallagher | 28 | RW | 35 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| 8 | Jonathan Drouin | 25 | LW | 44 | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| 9 | Corey Perry | 35 | RW | 47 | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| 10 | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | 20 | C | 54 | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Team Total | 54 | 152 | 250 | 402 |
Some more Montreal Canadiens injuries…
Shea Weber (lower-body injury) — It is likely that Weber will be rested until Game 1 of the playoffs. At least, that seems to be the plan for now. Things could change but he is out until further notice.
Phillip Danault (upper body / head) — Danault is believed to have suffered a possible concussion but tests were being done to confirm the possible diagnosis. He is day-to-day and will be monitored over the coming days by Montreal’s medical staff. He will not skate in the meantime and there are no plans for him to resume skating over the next several days or so.
Paul Byron (lower body) — Byron has been out of action since April 23rd. He was upgraded to questionable on Saturday before being announced as out. So, his return is getting closer. The belief is the injury has something to do with his knee and leg and was a 2-3 week injury. Byron apparently is on schedule and should return within a week.
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A few final words…
Combine the compressed schedule with all these injuries and that is why Montreal is almost looking forward to the end of this weekend. Even a few days of rest or resting players will help. Most think the schedule has been crazy. Just wait until the second season.
