On Tuesday night during the Pittsburgh Penguins versus New Jersey Devils game, Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin was struck in the face by a New Jersey slap shot. He was forced to leave the game and did not return. He had just over 22 minutes of ice time in the contest with a plus-two rating. The team announced Wednesday that Dumoulin would miss four to six weeks.
Brian Dumoulin just left the ice holding his face. Left for the locker room. He took a high shot from Andy Greene.
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) December 28, 2016
Dumoulin was diagnosed with a broken jaw and had surgery to repair it overnight. The injury occurred during the third period of the game when an Andy Greene shot made direct contact with the jaw of an unsuspecting Dumoulin. He has been placed on the long term injured reserve list. His injury adds to the list of others that have been mounting on the Penguins lately. The Pens are already playing without three of their top defensemen- Olli Maatta, Kris Letang, and Trevor Daley, and now with Dumoulin out long term, it makes the situation worse.
Brian Dumoulin will miss 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken jaw. Full details: https://t.co/vA0zHDnOGX pic.twitter.com/j7o2XIFkMW
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 28, 2016
The 25-year old, whom has been a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins since the 2013-14 season, has played in a total of 128 games, scoring a single goal and adding 24 assists, while maintaining a plus-four plus/minus rating. This season, Dumoulin has recorded seven assists and a negative-eight plus/minus rating. He was establishing himself as a top-pair defenseman in the midst of all the injuries before his own injury. Due to the timetable of his injury, expect Dumoulin to return to the Pittsburgh lineup around early-mid February.
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