Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko on the ice. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Kirill Marchenko out indefinitely with broken jaw after taking puck to face
  • Blue Jackets’ leading scorer had 21 goals and 55 points before injury
  • Read below for full details on how this impacts Columbus’s playoff push

The Columbus Blue Jackets were dealt a tough blow Sunday when leading scorer Kirill Marchenko took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench during their 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars.

The 24-year-old forward underwent surgery for a broken jaw and has been placed on injured reserve. The team announced Monday he’s out indefinitely.

It’s brutal timing for both Marchenko and the Blue Jackets. The Russian forward was having a monster season, leading Columbus with 21 goals and a plus-31 rating through 53 games. His 55 points had him well ahead of his previous career marks.

The Blue Jackets have been one of this season’s surprise stories at 26-20-7, fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Losing their top right winger puts a real dent in their postseason chances.

To make things worse, the Blue Jackets also lost top-pairing defenseman Dante Fabbro to an upper-body injury in the same game against Dallas. He left late in the first period and didn’t return.

“We lost our top pairing [defenseman] and our leading scorer, our top right winger,” Blue Jackets rookie center Adam Fantilli said after the game. “That’ll be rough for any team, but I think we responded well and did what we could.”

The Blue Jackets have recalled forward Dylan Gambrell from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on an emergency basis. But filling Marchenko’s shoes won’t be easy. The crafty forward had become Columbus’s go-to guy this season, burning teams with his quick release and knack for finding open ice.

Columbus will get their first test without Marchenko on Tuesday when they visit the Buffalo Sabres. The Blue Jackets are gunning for their first playoff berth since 2020, but staying alive in the tight Eastern Conference race just got a whole lot tougher.

For Marchenko, the injury cuts short what was looking like a career year. The former second-round pick had found his groove in his third NHL season, turning into the scorer the Blue Jackets bet on when they picked him 49th overall in 2018.

Now the Blue Jackets have to find a way without their top gun for who knows how long. With no timeline for his return, Columbus needs others to step up if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.