Canadiens' Jonathan Drouin day-to-day after taking puck to head
Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin was the subject of one of the scariest scenes, to date, of the young 2021-22 NHL season when he was hit in the head by a shot struck by teammate Brett Kulak in the first period of a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings that improved Montreal to 3-8-0 on Tuesday:
According to Sean Farrell of the league's website, the Canadiens announced that tests at a hospital confirmed Drouin does not have a concussion. The 26-year-old is considered day-to-day.
"He's doing well enough this morning so that's good news," Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters Wednesday. "Tests have been done and there was nothing positive, like he doesn't have a concussion, at least for now. So it's really day-to-day. He'll be re-evaluated over the next 24 hours and we'll see tomorrow."
Drouin took a leave of absence away from the team this past April for personal reasons later said to be related to anxiety and insomnia, but he returned ahead of this season "motivated and determined to get back to playing hockey," per Arpon Basu of The Atheltic. Thus far, Drouin has recorded two goals and five assists this fall.
Montreal hosts the 3-2-2 New York Islanders on Thursday, and Drouin's status for that game is up in the air.
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