The Montreal Canadiens’ 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins came with a heavy price tag as Jake Evans left the game with a lower-body injury and didn’t return.
The mood at the Bell Centre shifted quickly when Evans made an unexpected beeline to the locker room after a play at center ice. TV cameras caught the moment he tried to stay in the game before finally giving up and heading to the bench.
That’s usually not a good sign.
The Habs are keeping quiet about how long Evans might be out – pretty normal during a game when details are still fuzzy. But the fact he couldn’t come back to finish the match has fans worried.
Early signs point to a possible knee issue, which could be really tough news for the Canadiens.
The team’s seen its fair share of similar injuries lately. Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, and David Reinbacher are all sitting out long-term with knee problems.
But there might be a silver lining.
The Habs’ recent trade for Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings couldn’t have come at a better time. They made room for him by putting Kaiden Guhle and Dach on long-term injured reserve and sending Jared Davidson down to Laval.
Danault’s no stranger to Montreal – he’s played here before and knows his way around both ends of the ice. He’s especially good at shutting down other teams’ top players and killing penalties.
That defensive reliability could be huge for the Canadiens. It might give Nick Suzuki more chances to focus on what he does best: creating scoring opportunities.
The team’s expected to provide more details about Evans’ condition after further evaluation. For now, fans are keeping their fingers crossed it’s not as serious as it looked.
