News broke early Friday morning that Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had undergone successful surgery on his left hand to repair fractured bones. Gallagher was assessed a timetable for return, thus being eight weeks. The 24-year old winger was injured on January 4, when the Canadiens took on the Dallas Stars.
His left hand was struck by teammate Shea Weber‘s shot causing immediate pain for Gallagher, who left the game right away. It was announced after the game that Gallagher would not be traveling with the team and would be returning to Montreal for evaluation and treatment from team medical staff.
Brendan Gallagher fractures hand after being hit with Shea Weber slapper, will miss 2 months https://t.co/DS3KnjaXvi pic.twitter.com/Lsch4hBC5B
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 6, 2017
Gallagher has a history of injuries due to blocked shots. Last season he missed 29 games when he fractured the fingers on his left hand after blocking a Johnny Boychuk shot during a match-up with the New York Islanders. The bad luck struck again this season, and Gallagher is sidelined for two months.
Gallagher has scored six goals and added twelve assists for a total of 18 points this season in 39 games played. In his career, Gallagher has 83 goals and 174 total points in 299 games played, all with the Habs. Gallagher is also one game played away from 300, but it seems as if he will have to wait until around mid-March to reach that milestone.
The Canadiens sit at 24-9-6 and rank fourth in the entire National Hockey League, and are at the top of the Atlantic Division with 54 points. Gallagher’s injury hurts the Habs, costing them one of their top offensive players. Injuries have not been kind to the Canadiens this season, with the team having lost most recently Paul Byron (upper-body injury), and most notably Alex Galchenyuk. However, Galchenyuk is close to a return, having practiced with the team on Friday. An exact date is unknown, but a return is imminent.
The Habs face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, December 7.
Main Photo:
