VIDEO: Habs' Kaiden Guhle narrowly avoids serious injury after taking skate to face
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle had a scary moment during Tuesday night's game against the Calgary Flames when he took an accidental skate to the face.
Guhle found himself in a dangerous situation when Flames forward Elias Lindholm fell to the ice, and as his leg went up, his skate accidentally made contact with Guhle's face.
Promptly leaving the ice for medical attention, Kaiden Guhle was fortunate to escape any harm as his helmet took most of the impact from the skate blade.
After visiting the locker room, Kaiden Guhle returned to play later in that period, bringing relief and joy to fans and his teammates. The Flames won that game 2-1 against the Canadiens.
The outcome of the incident could have been much worse, which emphasizes how crucial safety measures in the sport are, such as facial protection and neck guards. Many fans watching were relieved Kaiden Guhle didn't suffer any harm.
Montreal Canadiens' performance this season
The Canadiens have gotten off to a slow start this season, holding a 7-7-2 record after playing 16 games and sitting in 5th place in the Atlantic Division. Scoring goals consistently has been a challenge, as the team is ranked 22nd in the league with 44 goals scored.
MoMontreal's top scorer is winger Cole Caufield with 14 points (five goals, nine assists), closely followed by center Nick Suzuki with 13 points (six goals, seven assists).
Defensively, the Canadiens have allowed 53 goals against, ranking 25th in the NHL. The goaltending performances have been inconsistent between Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault.
Allen has started in goal for seven games, has a Goals Against Average of 3.30 and a save percentage of .911. On the other hand, Montembeault holds a GAA of 2.78, along with a save percentage of .908 in eight games.
Their penalty kill ranks 19th at 77.3%. The Canadiens have taken the most penalty minutes in the league with 206. First-year coach Martin St.Louis has been trying to implement a system that focuses on speed and tempo; however, the players have faced difficulties finding consistency on that front.
Overall, it's a disappointing start for Montreal. The team's expectations were set high this season after finishing near the bottom of the standings last year.