Blue Jackets F Kirill Marchenko breaks jaw, put on IR

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko sustained a broken jaw Sunday night and will be out an indefinite period, the team announced.

General manager Don Waddell said Marchenko underwent surgery on Monday to repair the injury, which occurred when he was hit in the face with a puck during the team's 5-3 loss at the Dallas Stars. Marchenko was sitting on the bench when the stray puck struck the left side of his face late in the second period. He left the bench area, holding a towel to his jaw.

The team placed him on injured reserve.

Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets with 21 goals and also has 34 assists on the season.

The 24-year-old is enjoying a breakout season, already setting career highs in assists, points (55) and ice time (18:48) in just 53 games. His plus-31 rating leads the NHL.

Marchenko was selected by Columbus in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2018 NHL Draft.

Also Sunday, defenseman Dante Fabbro left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury that is a concussion, The Columbus Dispatch reported. He has four goals and nine assists in 37 games.

Winners of three of the past four games, the Blue Jackets conclude a four-game road trip Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Entering action on Monday, Columbus sits in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, just a point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.

--Field Level Media