Following a significant defeat against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens are facing yet another setback with an injury to their defense. The team announced that defenseman Justin Barron is day-to-day due to an upper-body injury and will likely be evaluated again before their upcoming game against the St. Louis Blues.
Barron’s injury occurred after a heavy hit from Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba in the third period, causing Barron to leave the ice. This incident happened with about 13 minutes left in the game while the Rangers were already leading by three goals. As Barron tried to move the puck into the offensive zone, Trouba’s hit abruptly halted his progress.
Video evidence shows that Trouba’s hit made contact with Barron’s head, prompting some in the Canadiens organization to call for additional punishment for Trouba. Brendan Gallagher, a veteran player for Montreal, expressed his frustration over the lack of a penalty for the hit. “They had a clean hit on the ice, we have a hit to the head from a player that’s had multiple, multiple warnings. So, whether the league decides to do the right thing, whether he gets another pass, that’s up to them,” Gallagher stated.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported that the league’s Department of Player Safety will not impose any additional discipline on Trouba. The league viewed Barron’s chest as the principal point of contact, citing Rule 48.1 of the NHL’s Official Rules, which clarifies that a hit must be evaluated based on the player’s intent and the circumstances surrounding the contact with the head.
