Nick Suzuki Out 2-4 Weeks, Ending 546-Game Iron Man Streak

Nick Suzuki finally has to sit, and that is a gut punch for every Canadiens fan who got used to writing his name on the lineup card in pen. Montreal announced Thursday that its captain is out two to four weeks with an upper-body injury.

The team did not specify the injury, but ESPN reported a shot hit Suzuki's left hand in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre.

Nick Suzuki's iron man streak ends at 546

This is the part that stings. These will be the first games Suzuki has missed in seven-plus NHL seasons. His 546 consecutive games played is the second-longest active streak in the league, behind only Brent Burns at 1,017, and it ranks as the 20th-longest run in NHL history.

Habs fans have not had to think about a lineup without their captain since he arrived. Through every up and down, he showed up every single night.

Why this one hurts Montreal

Suzuki is not just a durability story. He is one of the best two-way centers in the league, and he has raised his point total in each of the past five seasons, finishing with a career-high 101 points last year. That is the kind of production you do not replace from the press box.

The timing is rough, too. Montreal heads out on a road trip that starts Friday at the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks, then continues at Winnipeg on Sunday, St. Louis on Tuesday and Dallas next Thursday before the Canadiens return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 31. If the two-week end of the timeline holds, that whole road swing happens without the captain. Fans will be refreshing the injury updates every morning for the next month.

What to watch while he is out

The team gave no other details on the injury or a firmer timeline, so the next real update will come from the Canadiens themselves. The two-to-four-week window means anywhere from a short absence to a return in mid-November. Until then, it is next man up down the middle for a team that has leaned on Suzuki more than any player on the roster.

Smacktok pick: lean lower on Montreal's goal total Friday in Chicago. The Canadiens open the road trip without the center who put up a career-high 101 points last season and had not missed a game in 546 tries.