Thursday’s loss to the Kings was a tough blow for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Afterward, they got another one.
The club learned forward Matt Calvert broke his right index finger blocking a Slava Voynov shot, an injury that will keep Calvert “out a while,” according to head coach Todd Richards.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch suggests the timetable could be 2-4 weeks.
Translation: Calvert could miss the remainder of the regular season.
Such a loss would be tough for the Jackets as Calvert, 24, has been a key contributor during their surprising playoff push. He has 9G-7A-16PTS in 42 games while averaging a career-high 14:11 per contest.
Here’s a good rundown of what Calvert’s brought to the Jackets, courtesy Fox Sports Ohio’s Dan Kamal:
Losing Calvert takes away a forward whose confidence and productivity have been skyrocketing.
And with his speed and relentless forechecking style, Calvert has been emerging as a legitimate game-breaking forward, one who has become a nightmare for opposition defenders, especially when he has been able to blast through the neutral zone at full speed.
Columbus has three games remaining this season: Sunday, Apr. 21 at San Jose; Thursday, Apr. 25 at Dallas and Saturday, Apr. 27 at home against Nashville.
At the time of writing, the Jackets sit eighth in the Western Conference with 49 points, two up on Dallas and Detroit.