Andrei Markov and Mathieu Schneider Lost For Season

Just as things appeared on the upswing for the Montreal Canadiens, another bump in the road appears.

This one is more of a pot hole!

Montreal's defensive corp and power play took a major hit today, as french-language sports station RDS is reporting that the Canadiens will be without leading scorer Andrei Markov for three weeks, and Mathieu Schneider's season is over.

Both players underwent x-rays and MRIs earlier in the day after being injured during Saturday's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The team has yet to reveal the nature of either's injuries.

RDS is reporting that Schneider will likely have to undergo season-ending surgery, while Markov would likely return by the end of the month.

It would be a major hit for a Montreal team that has suddenly had an dramatic turnaround after struggling earlier in the year.

The Canadiens are currently on a 5-0-1 run heading into tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators.

Markov suffered his injury in the third period Saturday, when he was slammed into the boards by Leafs' forward Mikhail Grabovski. Markov leads the team with 64 points.

Grabovski was ejected from the game for the hit, but has received no disciplinary action as of yet.

Schneider, acquired by the Canadiens prior to the trade deadline from the Atlanta Thrashers, has contributed 16 points in 21 games with Montreal. The bulk of his scoring has come on the rekindled powerplay.

The Canadiens called up Doug Janik as an emergency replacement today, and he will play alongside Ryan O'Byrne in tonight's game.

Janik was acquired from the Dallas Stars for Steve Begin.

It's clear that GM and interim coach Bob Gainey will need to make some further roster moves to replace these crucial elements. He should then focus on getting the team into the playoffs, and then continue from that point.