Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen out eight weeks with lower-body injury

The Montreal Canadiens will be without goaltender Jake Allen for the next eight weeks.

The club announced the move early Friday morning it was a lower-body injury that would keep him out.

Allen, 31, has appeared in 24 games this season posting a 5-16-2 record with a .901 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against.

The news couldn’t come at a worse time for the Canadiens. Allen’s been forced into the lion’s share of goaltending work this season with Carey Price still recovering from offseason surgery.

The Habs, however, have been sliding down the standings. Since the start of December, the Habs have posted the second-worst points percentage (.267) in the entire league as well as the league’s worst shooting percentage (.739).

Allen was injured on Jan. 12 in a contest against the Boston Bruins after leaving early in the game. In his wake, the Habs will turn to Sam Montembault and Cayden Primeau.

The latter has appeared in four games posting a 1-3 record, a .883 save percentage, and a 4.11 goals-against average. In Montembault, meanwhile, the team might have something to work with. He’s appeared in 11 games going 2-6-4 this year.

In the last two games, Montembault has stood on his head stopping 48 and 49 shots consecutively in a win against the Dallas Stars and an overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights last night.