Ivan Demidov leaves game 2 injured after massive playoff hit
Ivan Demidov gave Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens a real scare after Jordan Greenway caught him with his head down.
The play was hard, clean-looking at full speed, and ugly for Montreal the second Demidov went down.
Greenway stepped through the lane and erased him with one heavy collision.
Demidov left the game right after the hit, which is what made it feel bigger than a routine playoff crunch along the wall.
When a young top-six forward heads straight off, the bench notices.
That's why his return mattered.
Demidov made it back to the bench, and that alone changed the tone around Montreal in a hurry.
It still doesn't wipe out the concern.
A player can return and still be limited, especially after a shot like that to the upper body area.
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Montreal's biggest issue is what comes next against the Sabres
The clip shows Demidov reaching for the puck, Greenway closing fast through the middle, and the rookie getting flattened before he can brace for impact.
That sequence is the story now, not just the hit itself. St-Louis can handle a rough game.
What he can't afford is losing one of his most gifted young forwards in the middle of a playoff push.
Demidov changes Montreal's look because he gives the club pace, skill, and another option when the attack starts to stall.
Take that away, even for a stretch, and the pressure lands on the rest of the top six.
Greenway, meanwhile, did exactly what Buffalo wants from him.
He played straight lines, finished a check, and made sure Montreal felt every inch of the ice.
The Canadiens will take some comfort from seeing Demidov return to the bench.
That said, the next update matters more than the first reaction.
If Demidov is fine, Montreal escapes with a scare.
If he's not, St-Louis has a lineup problem that gets serious in a hurry.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 8, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Alex Newhook | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden McNabb | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Dobson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||