Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans will miss the next 4-6 weeks after sustaining a lower body injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 20th.
Evans collided with forward Justin Brazeau in the first period, going knee-to-knee with the 6’6″ winger. Following the contest, Habs head coach Martin St. Louis told reporters that Evans wouldn’t travel with the team on their upcoming road trip, instead choosing to remain in Montreal for additional treatment.
The 29 year old was coming off a career best 36 point (13G, 23A) campaign in 2024-25. Across 34 contests this season, Evans had recorded 5 goals and 5 assists for Montreal. The Canadiens centre depth will now be tested without the Toronto, ON native, with Oliver Kapanen, Phillip Danault, and Joe Veleno expected to fill the void in the middle behind the team’s top line featuring Nick Suzuki.
Montreal has experienced an up and down season to date, oscillating between hot streaks and losing streaks. At the moment, they currently sit 2nd in the Atlantic Division with a 20-12-5 record, good for 45 points through 37 games played.
Up next for the Habs is a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning, followed by a clash on Tuesday with the Florida Panthers. From there the team travels to Carolina, St. Louis, and Dallas, before returning home to play host to the Calgary Flames on January 7th.
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