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Eaves to have surgery on broken jaw, out 6-8 weeks

Nashville Predators v Detroit Red Wings

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 26: Patrick Eaves #17 of the Detroit Red Wings is taken off the ice by stretcher after taking a slap shot to the right ear during an NHL game against the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena on November 26, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The Wings won 4-1. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Some good news and bad news today following last night’s scary Patrick Eaves incident.

Late in Detroit’s 4-1 win over Nashville, Eaves took a Roman Josi slapper to the side of the head. The Red Wings forward laid motionless on the ice before being carter off on a stretcher:

The good news is Eaves regained consciousness and was stable after staying overnight at the Detroit Medical Center.

The bad news is he didn’t escape injury.

Eaves suffered a broken jaw on the play, will undergo surgery for repair and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. That’s the initial timetable suggested by Red Wings GM Ken Holland, anyway. “We’ll know more after he’s had the surgery,” Holland told the Detroit Free Press. “But Danny Cleary had a broken jaw, Brad Stuart, and that’s about the time they missed.”

NB: Josi spoke with Josh Cooper of The Tennessean about the incident, which occurred in Josi’s NHL debut.

“We were on PP, and I gave it to (Jonathon Blum) and (Blum) gave it back and I wanted to get it to net and one-time it. It’s too bad I hit him. I hope he’s all right and he’s going to be fine,” Josi said."You never want to see a player going down and taken off on a stretcher. I felt bad. I just tried to get it to the net and hope he’s all right.

“I said sorry, he said it’s all right and that I hope it’s going to be fine.”