Montreal Canadiens left winger Chris Kreider left Thursday’s win over Boston with what appeared to be an injury to his left leg.
The Canadiens earned a 5-2 road win, but face the prospect of not having Kreider in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
Chris Kreider Injured in Win Over Boston
Kreider had an awkward collision with Boston Bruins winger Michael Eyssimont, who had lost his footing, and Kreider was immediately in distress.
There was no penalty on Eyssimont on the play, as he appeared to lose an edge before wiping out Kreider.
Eyssimont is a 30-year-old winger who has played 271 career NHL games, but did not make the Bruins out of training camp. He went to the American Hockey League and produced 13 goals and 16 points in just eight games to earn a recall.
He is a hard-driving winger who plays a physical game, but that doesn’t really appear to be what happened on this unfortunate play. If anything, it looked like he was trying to avoid blowing up Kreider as he was receiving a pass on a neutral zone regroup.
Chris Kreider’s Season For Montreal So Far
Kreider, 35, had his contract terminated by the Anaheim Ducks in September and signed with the Canadiens as a free agent.
The veteran winger has three goals and nine points in 19 games for Montreal.
Although Kreider has a subpar Corsi (47.2 CF%), the Canadiens have outscored opponents 15-10 during 5-on-5 play with Kreider on the ice.
How Will the Canadiens Respond?
The injury to Kreider happens at a time when the Montreal Canadiens are thriving. In the past ten games, the Habs have a 8-0-2 record, with overtime losses against Minnesota and Winnipeg their only blemishes.
If Kreider is going to miss time, the Canadiens will likely turn to young forwards to fill the void. Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck were not in the lineup Thursday, so Montreal does have options.
It’s just that they are not as accomplished as Kreider, an 11-time 20-goal scorer who has been playing a third-line role.
Canadiens Winger Injured in Win Against Bruins