Montreal Canadiens: Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron Hurt vs Stars
The Montreal Canadiens win over the Dallas Stars proved costly, as the team lost Forwards, Brendan Gallagher, and Paul Byron to injury.
The Montreal Canadiens won another thriller in overtime against the Dallas Stars. The Canadiens have gone to overtime in five straight games, and have won their last two. However, tonight’s win came at a cost, as both Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron left the game with injuries and didn’t return.
Both Byron and Gallagher are extremely valuable parts to the Canadiens roster. Loosing both for significant amount of time would be strenuous on the team, as the Habs already have a ton of injuries.
The Canadiens were already thin at Forward as Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, and Andrew Shaw are hurt. Defensemen Andrei Markov, and Greg Pateryn are currently hurt as well.
As a result the Canadiens have many players from their AHL affiliate, the St Johns Ice Caps, already playing with the Habs. Considering the amount of injuries, and the significance of the players lost, it’s amazing the Canadiens have played so well.
Brendan Gallagher’s Injury
Gallagher was hit with the puck in the Hand, in front of the Dallas Stars net. Gallagher broke this same hand last season, and hopefully it isn’t as serious as last season.
However, the Habs have announced that Gallagher will not travel to Toronto for the Canadiens next game. Instead, Brendan will travel to Montreal to meet with team doctors, and learn the extent of the injury. Gallagher plays every shift with the heart of lion, and he if he misses any time, he will be missed.
Byron’s Injury
Paul Byron took a hard hit from Dallas stars forward Patrick Sharp during the first period. Byron had his head down as he controlled the puck. Sharp then appeared to make contact with Byron’s head, and after that play, Byron wouldn’t return to the game.
Byron was having a career season with the Habs and has outperformed nearly all expectations. Paul brings so much speed to the Habs lineup, and it will be hard to find a replacement for him. Byron has also scored a few goals around the crease, and has shown a willingness to go to the dirty areas.
Final Thoughts
The severity of the injuries are not yet known, but the Habs roster is starting to look pretty thin. The Canadiens will need some more players to be recalled from St Johns. Hopefully, the injuries won’t be to severe, and both Gallagher and Byron make a speedy recovery.
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