Canadiens' Mathieu Perreault out two to three weeks with eye injury

Montreal Canadiens forward Mathieu Perreault will miss two to three weeks of game action due to an eye injury, per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme mentions that the injury to Perreault did not occur during the team’s last game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, and Perreault had instead been playing through the injury for some time. Team doctors determined that Perreault would miss the aforementioned time period after a consultation.

Perreault had moved to the center position in recent games as Jake Evans has been absent from the lineup with a day-to-day status, playing between Tyler Toffoli and Cole Caufield. The Quebec native has done well early in his Montreal tenure, scoring four points (including a hat trick) in eight games. That’s tied for fourth in points on the Habs.

The 34-year-old Perreault makes a homecoming to Montreal this season after a 12-season NHL career split between the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and mainly, the Winnipeg Jets. Perreault signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with Montreal in late July after a seven-year tenure with Winnipeg.

In Perreault’s absence, the team will likely rely more on Adam Brooks to get into some games after being claimed off waivers prior to the season from the Toronto Maple Leafs.