Early in the first period versus the Florida Panthers, Cedric Paquette was hit high right in front of his net and went down to the ice. The trainer escorted him to the bench and then the dressing room. The Montreal Canadiens have now announced he won’t return to the game.
Cédric Paquette ne reviendra pas au jeu cet après-midi.
Cedric Paquette won’t return to the game this afternoon.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 1, 2022
Montreal began the game with just 11 forwards as the team is dealing with a COVID outbreak on top of their rash of injuries. That number was dropped to 10 with Paquette playing just one minute of action in the first and a few shifts following the intermission.
The Canadiens will have 10 days off between the end of this game and the start of their next one on January 12, so hopefully there will be several players ready to return by then.
