Blue Jackets injury plague worsens, Laine out 3-4 weeks with ankle sprain
Tack another injury hurdled onto the Blue Jackets’ mounting pile of health issues.
Patrik Laine did not practice Monday and is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with an ankle sprain sustained in a 4-3 overtime loss Saturday at the New York Islanders. Laine is the sixth lineup stalwart added to the injury report with a longer-term issue, joining Zach Werenski, Jakub Voracek, Nick Blankenburg, Justin Danforth and Adam Boqvist.
When it rains in Columbus this season, it pours.
“It’s tough to get better when you get banged up,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “It’s hockey and it seems like it’s coming in waves with us right now with some key guys, but what do you do? You’ve just got to go play.”
INJURY UPDATE: #CBJ forward Patrik Laine suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday’s game at the NY Islanders and is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks.
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) November 14, 2022
According to The Athletic, Laine sprained the ankle while trying to skate with Islanders forward Zach Parise through the neutral zone. Laine was called for a penalty, but Parise scored the winning goal seconds later to cap a 3-on-1 rush.
Laine and Cole Sillinger also collided accidentally in the third period, knocking each other down to the ice. Both players made it through that incident unscathed, but Laine's luck ran out in OT.
Losing him for a second time in the span of one month is another huge setback. He also missed two weeks in October with a sprained elbow that occurred in the Jackets’ season-opening loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, disrupting any chemistry built in the preseason with Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau — who signed with Columbus in July.
This will do the same.
Gaudreau, Jenner and Laine had just begun showing signs of becoming an offensive force atop the forward lines before Laine was derailed again.
“You can’t develop chemistry when one guy’s eating popcorn and the other guy’s on the ice, right?” Larsen said. “Last game (against the Islanders), they don’t get rewarded, but they had a ton of looks. So, you’d love to see them have another ‘bust out’ game.”
That will have to wait for multiple weeks now, as the Blue Jackets continue to take on water with injuries that have only partly contributed to a 4-9-1 start. A rematch against the Philadelphia Flyers and John Tortorella is next up Tuesday at Nationwide Arena, five days after the Blue Jackets downed their former head coach's team in his first return to Columbus.
There’s no time for self pity.
Emil Bemstrom skated in Laine’s spot at right wing on the top line during practice, opposite Gaudreau, and he’ll likely stay there after scoring his first goal of the season in New York. Rookie Kent Johnson, who was scratched against the Islanders, is also poised to return.
The Blue Jackets didn’t recall anybody from the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League when announcing Laine’s injury, but that’s a possibility. Top candidates on the Monsters include rookie Kirill Marchenko and Powell's Carson Meyer, who made his NHL debut last season and had a strong performance in training camp.
There was also positive news Monday, as veterans Sean Kuraly and Erik Gudbranson returned to practice after missing time with upper-body injuries.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Laine injury more bad news for Columbus Blue Jackets
