The Montreal Canadiens said early Tuesday that Alexandre Carrier will be out for two to four weeks with an upper-body injury, a setback that forces a reshuffle on the back end as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Carrier, 29, was hit hard six times in Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, including two bodychecks and four shots, and still logged just over 19 minutes. He has seven goals and 22 points in 73 games this season, averaging 19:05 per game, and his 155 blocks are eighth-most in the NHL.
Kaiden Guhle said Carrier “plays the game hard” and “takes hits to make plays,” adding that losing him “for a bit here” hurts the group. That matters because Carrier had been filling a major defensive role and handling penalty-killing duties, while Montreal’s only other right-handed defenceman in the lineup is Noah Dobson.
The immediate answer is Arber Xhekaj, who will slide to the right of Guhle for Tuesday’s game against Tampa Bay. Xhekaj played just over five minutes as a forward in Sunday’s win over Carolina and had been scratched from six straight contests before returning to the lineup. He has averaged 11:10 per game this season.
Coach Martin St. Louis said Xhekaj needs to “stack up his actions throughout his shifts” and, whether it was a good shift or a bad one, focus on “what’s next” without letting his mindset swing. He said that if Xhekaj keeps things simple, defends hard and stays steady mentally, he can be great.
Montreal also recalled 22-year-old Adam Engstrom late Monday, adding another option after he debuted in a 4-3 win over the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 26. Engstrom played 10 games before returning to Laval on Jan. 2, averaging 12:32 and appearing only at five-on-five. He had been working on the right side with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before the recall, giving the Canadiens a possible longer look if Carrier’s recovery stretches beyond the short end of the timetable.
The injury leaves Montreal choosing between patience and improvisation. For now, Xhekaj gets the chance to prove he can hold the right side in a role that has already been thinned by Carrier’s absence.
