MONTREAL, March 7 (UPI) -- Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jeff Hackett will be out indefinitely after dislocating his left shoulder for the second time this season in Wednesday night's 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins.
Hackett, who missed 20 games earlier this season with the same injury, suffered the dislocation during a pileup with 11 1/2 minutes left in the game.
Jose Theodore's backup, Hackett was forced to leave the game. He was placed on injured reserve on Thursday and replaced by Mathieu Garon, who was recalled from Quebec of the American Hockey League.
Hackett was playing for the first time since Jan. 17. Overall this season, the veteran has appeared in only 15 games, going 5-5-2 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.
"It's hard to play when you see Hackett get injured again," Montreal forward Joe Juneau said after Wednesday's game. "He's had a tough year and he already missed 20 games. Together, he and Theodore made the best combination in the league."
Hackett also has had to handle his role as a backup, with Theodore -- a Quebec native -- emerging as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL.
"Not only has Jeff had injuries to deal with, but he also has to worry about being a second goalie on a team with a very good French-speaking goalie," Juneau said. "It's hard for a guy like Hackett to play under the shadow of Theodore. I feel sorry for him because he's in an impossible situation."
Theodore relieved Hackett on Wednesday and preserved the win, which allowed the Canadiens to tie the New York Rangers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 19 games left.
