Zach Werenski is done for the season with a facial fracture.
Columbus head coach John Tortorella said so this morning, the day after Werenski took a puck to the face in the Blue Jackets’ 4-3 overtime loss to Pittsburgh.
Though Werenski did manage to return to the game for the third period, wearing a full face mask for protection, the 19-year-old rookie defenseman was unable to see well enough to play the overtime period.
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Afterwards, he tweeted out the gruesome details:
Playoff hockey... pic.twitter.com/4GNoLYVECu
— Zach Werenski (@ZachWerenski) April 17, 2017
The Blue Jackets trail the Penguins, 3-0, in their first-round series. Game 4 goes Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.
It goes without saying that not having Werenski hurts the chances of a Columbus comeback. Tortorella called the teenager “probably our best player.” So no, it doesn’t look good for the Jackets.