Jake Evans was stretchered off the ice near the end of the third period of Wednesday’s Game 1 between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets after taking a hit from Mark Scheifele.
Scheifele levelled Evans after the Canadiens forward scored into the empty net on a wraparound that sealed Montreal’s 5-3 win. Evans gave Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi a fist bump as he was taken off the ice.
The Jets forward was given a major and game misconduct penalty on the play.
Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme said after the game that Evans was still at Bell MTS Place and doing better.
Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher called the hit “brutal” in an interview with Sportsnet’s Scott Oake.
“Didn’t need to happen, wrong play. He knows better.”
Montreal defender Joel Edmundson told reporters post-game that it was a “dirty hit, but the league’s going to take care of it.
“If he gets back in the series, we’re going to make his life miserable,” said Edmundson.
Jets head coach Paul Maurice said he hopes Evans will be alright after getting stretchered off and that he expects the league to have something to say about the play.
“It’s such a highly unusual play because you’re backchecking back to kill an empty net play you’re coming full speed and when Mark stops skating he kept his arms in,” Maurice said. “It’s a heavy hit no doubt, I’m league will have its opinion.”
When asked about Edmundson’s comments about making Scheifele’s life miserable if he returns in the series, Maurice expects players to respond to the play but not do anything premeditated.
“The players will sort things out on the ice,” Maurice explained. “I mean, nobody would ever be stupid enough to say anything premeditated going into the next game.”
Evans has a history of head injuries. He was sidelined after a hard hit from Brandon Tanev in Game 3 of the Canadiens’ series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in last season’s playoffs and suffered a concussion at the team’s Rookie Showdown in 2018.
The 25-year-old Toronto native was pointless in three post-season games heading into Wednesday’s contest and put up 13 points in 47 games on the season.
