Gallagher out for Canadiens in Game 6, rest of Eastern First Round

Brendan Gallagher has a broken jaw and will not play for the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Philadelphia Flyers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBSCN, CBC, SN, TVAS, NBCSP), or in Game 7 if it is necessary.

The Canadiens forward was injured with 5:08 left in the third period of a 5-3 win in Game 5 on Wednesday when he was cross-checked by Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen during a puck battle.

He finished the game, but Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Gallagher could have surgery as early as Friday in Toronto, the hub city for the Eastern Conference, and that he would be out for "an extended period of time."

He said he believes the Canadiens, who are down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series, will be inspired by Gallagher when they play the Flyers in Game 6.

"He's a warrior, he wants to play, he wishes he could play. That's probably the toughest part for him, not being able to be with his teammates," Bergevin said. "I believe his teammates will rally around that. He is a big part of our team. We can't replace him, but I expect 20 guys to pull the same way tonight."

Bergevin said he was unhappy with Flyers coach Alain Vigneault, who on Thursday said he thought the Niskanen hit was a "hockey play," and that Gallagher "seemed fine" after the cross-check.

"I was expecting more and was truly disappointed [Vigneault] would make a comment about a player who's injured without knowing the extent of it," Bergevin said. "[Gallagher will] be eating his meals out of a straw. I don't wish that on anybody, and that includes the Flyers players. It's a battle out there. You don't want people to get hurt like that."

Vigneault defended his comments on Friday, again stating it appeared Gallagher was not seriously injured.

"You don't like to see any players get injured, there's no doubt. At the end of the day I can only state the facts and the fact was that Gallagher got up and his mouth didn't shut up for at least five minutes to the referees, the linesmen and to our bench," Vigneault said. "So he didn't look like he was hurt other than it looked like he had a cut. If the Montreal medical personnel thought it was something real serious they would have probably taken him off and brought him inside.

"I can only state the facts and state what I was watching. And what I was watching a a guy that kept on talking. So he didn't seem like he was hurt."

Niskanen was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday.

Gallagher, who tied Tomas Tatar for the Canadiens lead with 22 goals this season, scored his first goal of the postseason in Game 5, giving Montreal a 3-2 lead at 11:30 of the second period.

He played 18:02, which was third among Canadiens forwards, finishing with three shots and three hits.

"That's the 'Gally' we love," Montreal associate coach Kirk Muller said after the game. "That's what he can bring to a team. He brought the guys into the fight tonight. He's a competitor, he's a proud player, he works for every goal he gets, and I thought he had an exceptional game tonight."

Defenseman Ben Chariot said the Canadiens get a spark when Gallagher is in the lineup.

"He's been a heart-and-soul guy for this team for a long time," Chiarot said. "He leads the way with his work ethic and how determined he is, and that definitely sets the tone for our team. [If] a guy like that is going to be going that hard, everybody else better match that intensity."