Report: Marchenko suffers broken jaw from errant puck
Published
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw after being hit with an errant puck in the second period of Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
It's unclear how long Marchenko, the team's leading scorer, will be out but Portzline notes a typical recovery timeline for the injury is about six-to-eight weeks.
The 25-year-old Marchenko was seated on Columbus' bench late in the second when teammate Denton Mateychuk inadvertently sent a puck out of play toward the bench, striking the Russian winger in the face. He immediately went down the tunnel with a towel held up against his face and was taken to a Dallas-area hospital to receive treatment.
Portzline reports that Marchenko and a member of the Blue Jackets' training staff remained in Dallas while the team departed for Buffalo to continue their road trip. Marchenko had one assist in 11:19 of ice time as the Jackets went on to lose 5-3.
The injury is a big blow to a Columbus team tied with the Detroit Red Wings at 59 points for the top two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning trail both the Jackets and Wings by just one point and have two games in hand.
Marchenko has been one of the best young forwards in the league this season, scoring 21 goals and 55 points in 53 games prior to the injury. He's also a league-best plus-31.
Marchenko isn't the only key injury up front for Columbus. Centre Sean Monahan suffered a wrist injury on Jan. 7 that caused him to undergo surgery and is expected to keep him out until mid-to-late March. He had 14 goals and 41 points in 41 games at the time of his injury.
Blue Jackets centre Boone Jenner, however, is believed to be nearing his season debut after undergoing shoulder surgery before their opening game.