In a somewhat unsurprising move, the Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Brendan Gallagher on injured reserve on Thursday, after confirming on Wednesday that the 27-year-old's upper-body injury is indeed a concussion.
Gallagher was injured in Tuesday's matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes after taking a big hit from Jordan Staal in the second frame.
With 32 points through 40 games, it's safe to say that the Habs are hoping that Gallagher's time on the sidelines will be minimal. His placement on injured reserve is retroactive to December 31st, so he is eligible for return as early as Tuesday, when the Habs take on the struggling Detroit Red Wings.
This will effectively end Gallagher's streak of 228 consecutive games played, dating back to the 2016-17 season. This is definitely a tough loss for the Habs as they seemed to be poised for a bounce-back season in the early going.
Montreal now sits 4 points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for 3rd in the Atlantic Division. Tampa has two games in hand.
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