The Montreal Canadiens got in their first practice skate after the holiday break this afternoon, and Andrei Markov’s was the most notable absence from the ice.
Injured Desharnais, Pateryn, Galchenyuk, Markov, Shaw did not accompany #Habs to Florida today
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) December 27, 2016
It’s unknown when the injury occurred, as there was no video evidence of the event. By not making the trip south, Markov will likely be out of action until at least January 7 when Montreal returns to Canada to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will miss another five games if that is the case.
The situation is the same for several other members of the team. It was expected that David Desharnais, Greg Pateryn, and Alex Galchenyuk would miss the trip as they were slated to be out for one to two months with their injuries. Andrew Shaw seems to still be suffering from the concussion he sustained versus the Boston Bruins earlier in December. No specifics were ever given, either regarding the injury or the prognosis, for Markov.
The situation means that Nathan Beaulieu will be relied upon to play big minutes, as he did in the two games before the break, though Alexei Emelin will be back to help distribute the time. Mark Barberio will see regular time on the third pair for the next two weeks, playing alongside Zach Redmond.
The Canadiens’ next game is Wednesday night, as they kick off back-to-back games with the two Florida teams, starting with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
There was some good news to emerge from practice. Both Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais skated for the first time since their knee injury.
Updates: Galchenyuk and Desharnais skated for the 1st time today. Markov (groin) not with the team. Shaw continuing his rehab in Brossard.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 27, 2016
