MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Brendan Gallagher on long-term injured reserve with a fractured thumb.

The team says Gallagher is expected to miss at least six weeks.

Gallagher suffered the injury after he was hit by teammate Alexander Romanov's slapshot in a 3-2 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

The 28-year-old Gallagher has 14 goals and nine assists in 35 games this season.

Gallagher, an Edmonton native, has played his entire 582-game NHL career with Montreal.

The Habs picked Gallagher in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2010 NHL draft.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2021.

The Canadian Press