Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher out for series with broken jaw

The Montreal Canadiens were dealt some devastating news just hours after their thrilling Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, as forward Brendan Gallagher will miss at least the remainder of the series with a broken jaw, the team confirmed Thursday.

According the the team’s website, “Gallagher's injury will require surgery that will force him out of the Toronto bubble and keep him out of play for the remainder of the quarterfinal series against Philadelphia.”

Gallagher sustained the injury on the cross-check from Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen, who wasn’t penalized on the play.

Gallagher was battling for a puck in the corner late in the third period before he turned and was struck with the cross-check to the mouth from the Flyers blueliner. The hit sent Gallagher to the ice and left him spitting blood in rage from the bench as the final moments of Game 5 yielded a whole new level of hatred between these two hard-driving clubs.

Sportsnet’s Eric Engels added via Twitter that “the play, along with a couple more from this game, is expected to be reviewed by NHL Player Safety.”

Gallagher has just one goal — a key tally for the Habs in Game 5 — through Montreal’s nine postseason contests this summer, but this is still a massive loss for the Canadiens especially as the gritty forward was just showing signs of coming around.

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