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Injury-mired Canadiens lose two more players after stomping Jets in Winnipeg

Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins - Game Five

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 23: Mike Cammalleri #13 of the Montreal Canadiens takes a shot in the second period against the Boston Bruins in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on April 23, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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You can add Mike Cammalleri and Jaroslav Spacek to the list of Montreal players dealing with injury problems.

The Canadiens’ 5-1 win over Winnipeg came at a price as Cammalleri was cut just above his knee thanks to an arrant Yannick Weber skate blade. Losing Cammalleri for periods of time is something Montreal’s dealt with since he’s joined the team, but seeing it happen so soon is a kick in the teeth.

The Habs also lost defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to a rib injury after taking a big hit from Evander Kane along the boards. Spacek left the game after the hit and did not return. Canadiens staff reported after the game that they don’t feel either injury is serious. Mike Johnson of NHL Network reported that Cammalleri could miss just two weeks of action. We’ll see if that’s the case.

Montreal’s defense has taken a beating already this season as Andrei Markov is slow in recovering from offseason knee surgery and his replacement Chris Campoli is out for an extended time with a leg injury. New guys Raphael Diaz and Alexei Yemelin have been forced into action in their stead.

The Habs won’t get to pick on the Jets every night so they’ll have to hope Diaz, Yemelin, and Weber can help take care of business until the others are back healthy. There’s nothing less encouraging than having injury problems right off the bat in a new season.