Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban will be out indefinitely after suffering a neck injury last week. Subban doesn't have a set return date for the team from his injury, which was described as "non-serious" after the defenseman was released from the hospital.
The 26-year-old was injured on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres after colliding with teammate Alexei Emelin. He was stretchered off the ice after being looked at by team trainers. Subban wrote on Twitter that he was "feeling good" after being discharged from the hospital. The injury forced him to miss the game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, snapping a streak of 274 consecutive games played for the defenseman.
"It's a different feeling without him, a different energy," Tomas Plekanec said.
Subban suffered the injury after being tangled up with Buffalo Sabres player Marcus Foligno. The defenseman was skating into the Montreal defensive zone behind the net and went down after getting tripped up by Foligno. He fell down towards the ice and inadvertently hit the backside of Emelin, which forced his neck to bend. The Canadiens said on Friday that the injury for Subban was "not serious," but that he would sit out against the Wild.
"He seems good," coach Michel Therrien said. "For sure, he's tight, but his spirits are really good. It's bad luck ... it's an accident. He got away pretty good. It could have been a lot worse, so we're pleased that he's day to day... He's going to have some treatment and he'll go from there."
The Canadiens are out of the playoff mix with 13 games left in the season, and there is a chance that the team could hold Subban out for the rest of the year. The "day-to-day" nature of the injury gives the defenseman the potential to return soon. Subban has been the most consistent player for the Canadiens this season, posting 51 points with six goals and 45 assists in 68 games. Subban is not the only player sitting out for the Canadiens. Both Lars Eller and Stefan Matteau did not play against the Wild on Saturday.
Subban left the game against the Sabres with less than three minutes left in the third period. The Canadiens won the game against Buffalo, 3-2. Montreal lost without Subban on Saturday against the Wild, and the team plays next against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
