MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have suffered a major blow to their roster after team captain Nick Suzuki was ruled out for two to four weeks due to a upper-body injury. The unexpected absence officially snaps his remarkable iron man streak of 546 consecutive regular-season games, which stood as the second-longest active streak in the entire NHL.
A Devastating Blow: How Nick Suzuki’s Upper-Body Injury Happened Against San Jose
The 27-year-old star center sustained the injury during Tuesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss against the San Jose Sharks. With just over five minutes remaining in the third period, Suzuki took a hard shot directly to his left hand from Sharks defenseman Michael Kesselring. Despite the pain, the Canadiens captain finished the game, tallying a goal and an assist in over 21 minutes of ice time.
Suzuki was notably absent from Thursday’s practice as Montreal prepared to face Chicago without their premier playmaker. Before the injury, the former 101-point scorer was tied for second on the team with five goals and 12 points through nine games this season.
Historic Iron Man Streak Snapped: Replacing Montreal’s Unmatched Leader
Only Colorado’s Brent Burns, holding an astonishing 1,017 consecutive games played, possessed a longer active streak than Suzuki across the league. Reaching back to his NHL debut in 2019, Suzuki’s 546-game run ranks as the 20th longest in league history, underscoring his rare durability and work ethic.
«It’s a huge loss,» winger Cole Caufield said following practice. «Nobody can replace Suzy. We know that as a group. Everybody has to step up.» Winger Juraj Slafkovsky echoed the sentiment, calling Suzuki one of the team’s vital core pieces.
The setback compounds a growing injury crisis for Montreal, as 20-year-old rising star Ivan Demidov remains sidelined with a lower-body injury since early October and was recently seen in a walking boot.
With two key offensive engines out of the lineup, Montreal faces an immediate test of depth and resilience in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race.
How well do you think the Montreal Canadiens will hold up in the standings without Nick Suzuki leading the top line?