BROSSARD, Quebec -- Sam Montembeault sustained two torn muscles in his groin, and Patrik Laine broke his finger for the Montreal Canadiens during their five-game loss to the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Montembeault was injured during Game 3 of the series, leaving with 8:21 remaining in the second period of what resulted in a 6-3 win for the Canadiens. The goalie was replaced by Jakub Dobes, who started the final two games.
"I got hurt early in the second, so the first TV timeout I went to the bench and told 'Rammer’ [director of sports medicine and performance Jim Ramsay] and ‘Dobie’ that I hurt my leg and I told ‘Dobie’ to stay ready," Montembeault said Friday.
"I tried to go back. I could still play but I couldn't move. I really had a tough time getting back up. So after that, I wanted to wait at least until the second TV timeout so Dobie doesn't have to go right into the action, give him a little more time. But I really couldn't move so I had to get out of the game."
Montembeault said he would not need surgery to fix the injury.
Laine was injured during Game 2 and missed the final three games. The forward said he will not need surgery to repair the fracture.
“I couldn’t hold on to the stick, which is unfortunate,” he said. “And shooting is kind of what I do and I just couldn’t do it as well as I would have liked to. So, I was disappointed I couldn’t play, but it is what it is."
Laine had one assist in two playoff games after getting 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 52 regular-season games. He was fourth in the NHL with 15 power-play goals despite not making his Canadiens debut until Dec. 3 because of a knee sprain he sustained during a preseason game.
However, Laine said he was happy he had an opportunity for a fresh start in Montreal and was able to rekindle his passion for playing after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a trade on Aug. 19.
"The only goal that I had for myself this year was to really enjoy playing again," Laine said. "And I definitely did that even though it was hard at times, but I still enjoyed every bit of it. People are always going to talk about numbers and all that, but for me it was a success that I got to enjoy this awesome sport again."
Forwards Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson also played through injuries down the stretch that carried into the playoffs.
"I'm not going to get into the specifics about that," Anderson said. "I know everybody tells their injuries, but enough that if we weren't in the position that we were in, I wouldn't be playing. But I had things going on my upper and lower body so I'll just leave it at that."
Anderson did say his injury issues would heal without surgery.
Defenseman David Savard retired after Montreal was eliminated with a 4-1 loss in Game 5 on Wednesday. A Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021, the 34-year-old played 14 NHL seasons with the Canadiens, Lightning and Blue Jackets.
Savard said he made his decision midway through the season and told management and players, but only made it public before the series began.
"You feel it every day," Savard said. "It's a tough job, in a way, and there are a lot of injuries that keep coming back. I'm definitely looking forward to feeling a little better and taking care of the body and slowly get better."
Rookie Lane Hutson was one of four Montreal defensemen who made his playoff debut, along with Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble. All four were partnered with Savard at some point during their development with the Canadiens.
"It's a special place to play," Hutson said. "And having our young core and having all these guys who are still coming up, it's only going to get younger from here and we're just excited about what the future can hold."
