With the puck nowhere in sight, Phoenix Coyotes‘ prospect Brendan Shinnimin cross-checked Montreal Canadiens center Lars Eller from behind and into the Coyotes’ net. The fall from Eller didn’t look like much, but he had trouble getting to his feet and was helped off the ice by the Habs’ trainers.
Eller returned to the bench moments later, and took a shift with the Habs shorthanded, clearing the puck and preventing a scoring chance, but returned to the dressing room right after.
It’s unclear how bad Eller’s injury is, but any amount of time he misses will hurt the Canadiens greatly, who have already been struggling with lottery team level possession numbers in the new year. Eller is the team’s best possession forward this season, playing extremely tough defensive minutes, usually with poor linemates, and still carrying the play.
If Eller can’t play, expect Alex Galchenyuk to get another shot at playing center.
Update
Lars #Eller won’t return to the game- out with a lower back injury. #mtlhockey
— Kelly Greig (@KellyGreig) February 1, 2015
