Senators prospect Adam Nemec lasted just 1:39 against the Canadiens last night before an upper-body injury ended his preseason finale.
It happened in the first period, when Florian Xhekaj caught him with a check along the boards in the Senators' zone.
Nemec stayed down, was slow to get back up and didn't take another shift.
Xhekaj went to the box for interference, and the Senators opened the scoring on that power play.
Montreal Hockey Now didn't buy the call. "In no way was this interference by Xhekaj. Just a stronger player," the account posted.
It also noted the young forward was "in considerable pain" afterward.
So was it interference, or just a heavy check at the wrong moment?
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Senators prospect Adam Nemec injured after controversial Florian Xhekaj hit
The 18-year-old was a third-round pick by the Senators in June's draft.
He's expected to rejoin the OHL's Sudbury Wolves this season after putting up 35 points in 31 games there last year.
His older brother, Flames defenseman Simon Nemec, logged 23:31 in Calgary's 4-1 loss at Edmonton the same night.
The interference call looked soft. The puck had reportedly been played moments before contact, and a legal check doesn't become illegal just because it ends badly.
Preseason for an 18-year-old is like the first day at a new job. You want to leave an impression, just not the kind that sends you straight to the trainer's room.
Xhekaj logged 13:23 and put two shots on goal as the Canadiens won 4-2.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored the winner and added two assists. Samuel Montembeault stopped all 14 shots he faced in his half of the game.
Both of Ottawa's goals came on the power play, from Tyler Boucher and Philip Tomasino.
It was one of two meetings between the clubs on Saturday. The Senators won the other 4-3 at home, with Arber Xhekaj logging 18:56 for Montreal.
The Canadiens, now 4-1-0 this preseason, open Tuesday in Toronto. The Senators open there on October 3.
No timeline has been reported for Nemec. With Sudbury waiting, the real question is how much development time this costs a teenager who barely got his night started.
Was Florian Xhekaj's check on Adam Nemec really interference?
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