Montreal Canadiens rookie forward Jake Evans is doubtful for Game Four. Evans left Game Three of Montreal’s play-in series against the Pittsburgh Penguins after being hit into the boards by Brandon Tanev.
Jake Evans Doubtful for Game Four
The 24-year-old Evans was playing in his first postseason game after replacing Jordan Weal in the line-up. Evans played 5:40 in the game. He also recorded one shot and was a minus one. Near the end of the second period, he got hit hard into the boards by Tanev and his head hit the glass. Evans didn’t immediately get up. He was helped off the ice and he was bleeding from his face. He didn’t return for the third period. Here is a video of the hit.
#GoHabsGo Jake Evans went down after this hit from #LetsGoPens Brandon Tanev. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/CiPjEXkmDf
— Here’s Your Replay ⬇️ (@TheReplayGuy) August 6, 2020
Evans is in his second professional season with the Canadiens. He led their AHL team, the Laval Rocket, in scoring this season with 38 points in 51 games. He also played 13 games with Montreal and scored two goals and three points. Montreal drafted Evans in the seventh round in 2014, and emerged as a solid prospect while playing for the University of Notre Dame, scoring over a-point-a-game during his final two seasons.
Going Forward
Montreal should be able to find a replacement for Evans. He only played five minutes through two periods, so he isn’t an integral part of their team. Montreal could put Jordan Weal back in or go with another option such as Charles Hudon, Alex Belzile or Ryan Poehling.
As for Evans, this is a sad end to his first playoff game. Hopefully, he will be back in the playoffs. If not, the fact the Canadiens would put him in such an important game shows he is on their radar. If he has a strong training camp next season, he could be a regular on the team.
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