The Anaheim Ducks have lost leading goalscorer Corey Perry for the next 3-4 weeks with a knee sprain, the club announced on Tuesday.
Perry, who’s scored 14 times this season, was injured during Friday’s 5-4 win in Minnesota, on this hip check from Wild defenseman Keith Ballard:
Perry’s already missed one game with the injury -- Sunday’s 4-3 OT win over Winnipeg -- and, depending on his rehab, could miss 10 more if he’s held out for the remainder of December.
News of Perry’s injury will likely further upset Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau, who didn’t like Ballard’s hit to begin with.
“Ballard’s done that a couple of times now,” Boudreau vented, per Sportsnet. “He hits low.”
This injury will be one of the most severe of Perry’s career. An extremely durable player, he’s only missed a handful of games over the last few seasons and three times has dressed for all 82 games in a single campaign.
That said, Perry did miss some games earlier this season while dealing with the mumps.