The Montreal Canadiens were forced to close out Sunday’s Game 4 a man down on the blue line.
Defenceman Alexandre Carrier exited the game with an apparent injury in the third period. It was the second time in the game that he went to the locker room after departing in the opening 20 minutes before returning.
The second injury seemingly came on a hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, who sent Carrier into the boards, setting up a game-tying goal for the visitors.
The initial injury occurred midway through the first period. Alex Ovechkin went in for a hit on Carrier but missed; however, their legs appeared to collide on the play and Carrier struggled to put weight on it.
He remained in the game for a bit but later returned to the team’s locker room.
Goaltender Jakub Dobes believes the play should have been handled better by the officials.
“I felt like it’s going to be a whistle because they were in their defensive zone and far away I guess I don’t really know the rules,” Dobes told reporters after the game.
“I felt like it should have been a whistle. It was a scary hit, but I guess the rules don’t apply to everyone in this league. I have no idea.”
A native of Quebec City, Carrier has been a solid addition to Montreal’s blue line since joining the team in a trade with the Nashville Predators in December.
The 28-year-old has two goals and 16 assists through 51 games with the Canadiens.
The Canadiens have already struggled with injuries in their first-round series against the Capitals. Forward Patrik Laine has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, and goaltender Sam Montembeault missed Game 4 and is listed as day-to-day.
