Canadiens’ Mike Matheson out two weeks with lower-body injury

The Montreal Canadiens will be without an experienced defenseman once again, as Mike Matheson is expected to miss the next two weeks due to a lower-body injury.

Matheson had already missed Thursday’s 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars, as the team had announced prior to the game that he was would not be playing and would be reevaluated when they returned to Montreal. As they start a three-game homestand, the update is that Matheson will miss the next two weeks with his injury.

It’s unclear what the cause of the injury was, as Matheson played the entirety of his last game, Tuesday’s 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, including the last shift of the game. He did miss four games earlier in the month due to a lower-body injury, so it’s possible that the injury was tweaked again, but that has not been confirmed by the team.

Based on the current timeline provided, Matheson is expected to return by mid-November. As a result, he will likely miss at least six games for the Canadiens.

At this point in time, it hasn’t been confirmed whether or not Matheson will have a stint on injured reserve. The Canadiens are currently at their 23-player roster limit, so if they want to make another addition to their roster, Matheson will need to be moved to IR. With the required minimum time spent on IR being one week, it wouldn’t impede his return.

When healthy, Matheson has produced at his usual rate since joining the Canadiens, as he has one goal and three assists for four points in eight games.

The Canadiens currently sit in second in the Atlantic Division with an 8-3-2 record. They’ll look to extend a six-game point streak when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.