MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have announced forward Max Pacioretty and defenceman Victor Mete will miss several weeks as they recover from injuries.
Both players were injured Friday in Montreal's 6-3 road win over the New York Islanders. Pacioretty, the Canadiens' captain, suffered a knee injury and is expected to miss four to six weeks, while Mete suffered a fractured finger and is expected to be out for six weeks.
The injuries will likely end whatever dim post-season chances the Canadiens were clinging to. Heading into Tuesday's games, Montreal (25-29-11) was 10 points behind Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Pacioretty has seen his production drop this season. He has 17 goals and 20 assists in 64 games with a defensive rating of minus-16.
The left-winger had been one of the leagues most consistent scorers, reaching the 30-goal mark in five of the past six seasons. He had 15 goals in 44 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
Mete, a mobile rookie defenceman who earned a spot on the team in training camp, has seven assists and a plus-5 rating in 49 games. He also helped Canada win gold at the 2018 world junior hockey championship.
The Canadian Press