Breaking: Young forward leaves game early, heads straight to the hospital

Even though the Montreal Canadiens have just snapped a three-game losing streak, this 5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks is actually bittersweet. Not only did veteran centerman Tomas Plekanec appeared to get injured after a hit from Corey Perry, but the Habs also lost another talented forward because of an injury.

As TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie reported, Jonathan Drouin got hit in the back during the second period, and left the game instantly. He was spotted leaving the Bell Center in street clothes, and headed straight to the hospital to get x-rays.

Jonathan Drouin on his way to the hospital for precautionary reason. Hit by a puck in the back in the second period. He won't return.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 3, 2018

You can see the sequence where Karl Alzner's shot hit him right to the ribs. He was clearly in pain when he left for the locker room:

Here's the Drouin injury. Puck right to the ribs #Habs pic.twitter.com/PP7q5yfOGg
— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) February 3, 2018

We sure hope for Habs fans that this injury isn't serious, considering the team's first center, Phillip Danault, is already out of the lineup because of a concussion. In 46 games this season, Drouin amassed seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points.

UPDATE: Habs' head coach Claude Julien gave an important update on Drouin's status: