WILD 1, CANADIENS 0
MONTREAL — It looks like the Montreal Canadiens avoided the worst after losing captain Shea Weber to a non-serious injury Monday night.
Weber left Montreal’s 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild after taking a puck to the face in the first period. The 33-year-old went to the hospital and X-rays showed no fracture on his left cheek.
The Canadiens captain will travel with the team on their two-game road trip, starting tonight in Detroit.
It’s a major break for the Canadiens, who have lost two games in a row.
Weber blocked a shot by Mikael Granlund and the puck rode up his own stick and hit him on the cheek. Weber winced in pain on the bench but he still played seven more shifts to finish the first period. He did not return for the second.
Granlund netted his first goal since Nov. 29, which stood up as the winner.
Devan Dubnyk did the rest for Minnesota, stopping all 32 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season.
Carey Price stopped 24-of-25 shots in defeat.
Earlier Monday, the Canadiens announced that Price will not attend the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose later this month due to “a nagging injury.”
Per NHL policy, Price will be assessed a one-game suspension for withdrawing from the all-star game.
Price had been selected as a goaltender for the Atlantic Division’s team, but he has been battling a lower-body injury and the team believes taking the all-star break off will help him recover.
Price has made five all-star appearances in his career, most recently in 2017.