Kirby Dach Exits Game After High Hit from Ducks’ Jeffrey Viel

In a concerning turn of events for the Montreal Canadiens, forward Kirby Dach was forced to leave Sunday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks due to an upper-body injury. The incident occurred just three minutes into the first period when Dach fell victim to a high hit delivered by Ducks winger Jeffrey Viel.

Dach was caught off guard as he attempted to play the puck, missing it and subsequently being leveled by Viel. The impact sent him crashing to the ice, where he was seen cradling his face in his gloves before slowly making his way to the bench and ultimately heading to the dressing room. Notably, Viel was not penalized for the hit, which raised eyebrows among players and fans alike.

In the aftermath of the hit, Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj and forward Josh Anderson approached Viel later in the period, seemingly looking for retribution. However, Viel declined their apparent requests to engage in a fight, leaving the tension unresolved on the ice.

This incident comes on the heels of another controversial play in the league, as just three days prior, Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas ended Toronto captain Auston Matthews’ season with a knee-on-knee hit. Matthews suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee from that hit, leading to Gudas receiving a major penalty and an ejection from the game, along with a five-game suspension for the infraction.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.