The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Tanner Pearson will be out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury after he left Saturday’s game vs Buffalo Sabres after blocking a shot with his hand in the first period. Ironically the Canadiens just got David Savard back, who was out since late October with a similar injury. Pearson has played in 27 games this season, putting up four goals and four assists for eight points, and recently snapped a 19-game goal-less drought before finding the back of the net last Monday in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. The Ontario Native is in his 12th season in the NHL, as he has spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks before being dealt to Montreal over the Summer. In 617 games, the 30th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft has put up 137 goals and 143 assists for 280 points.
With Pearson out of the lineup, expect to see a lot more of Michael Pezzetta and Mitchell Stephens. Pezzetta has had a solid year for the Canadiens, as he leads the team in hits and has a goal and two assists in 13 games. Stephens began the year in Laval, where he put up three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 16 games before being called up, he’s played in five games with the Habs but has yet to find the scoresheet.
