Columbus Blue Jackets lose captain Boone Jenner up to six weeks with broken jaw
Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will miss an estimated six weeks with a broken jaw that occurred in the second period of a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.
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Jenner, who was placed on injured reserve, leads the team with 13 goals, centers the top forward line and is the Jackets' most skilled forward taking faceoffs. He leads by example, and that presence will be missed a great deal by one of the NHL's youngest teams.
Jenner was injured doing one of the things he does best. He was parked in front of the Blues’ net when teammate Ivan Provorov’s shot struck him in the face. Play was stopped with 7:51 left, Jenner headed straight to the locker room and didn't return.
Sean Kuraly and Justin Danforth split center duties on Jenner's line the remainder of the game, skating with left wing Johnny Gaudreau. Danforth was at right wing on that line prior to Jenner's departure. During much of the third, Alexandre Texier was double-shifted to play in his usual spot at left wing on Kuraly's line and also at right wing with Danforth and Gaudreau.
Jenner's injury adds another key player to the Blue Jackets' medical report.
They were already without defenseman Damon Severson (oblique), defenseman Adam Boqvist (shoulder strain), center Cole Sillinger (upper body), forward Jack Roslovic (fractured foot), forward Patrik Laine (illness), defenseman Erik Gudbranson (illness) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins (illness).
Jenner's absence will give the Jackets' organizational depth another test. Until Jenner went down, early returns were solid with replacements for the previous issues.
Along with goalie Jet Greaves shining as Spencer Martin's backup with Elvis Merzlikins gone, Emil Bemstrom has contributed positively the past two games after his latest recall from AHL Cleveland. Defensemen Nick Blankenburg and Andrew Peeke have also joined the blue line with Severson, Boqvist and Gudbranson missing.
Peeke, who's been a healthy scratch most of the season, is still trying to regain his timing since returning to the lineup with Gudbranson out. Blankenburg, one of Cleveland's top defensemen, has meshed seamlessly back into the Jackets' defensive rotation.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Jenner has broken jaw, expected to miss six weeks
