The division-leading Montreal Canadiens will be without key players Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle for the next few months.

Newhook, a forward, is out four months after fracturing his ankle in a loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Newhook battled with Dallas defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin while on the forecheck before falling to the ice. His right leg slammed hard against the end boards. Newhook left the game with the assistance of two teammates. Lyubushkin was given a minor penalty for hooking.

Newhook, 24, is the Canadiens' fifth-leading scorer with six goals and six assists for 12 points in 17 games. He had been excelling on a line with two of Montreal's top young players in Ivan Demidov (13 points) and Oliver Kapanen (10 points).

Coach Martin St. Louis will likely s

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