Blue Jackets, Islanders lose Sergei Bobrovsky, Kyle Okposo to injury
Sergei Bobrovsky was forced to pull out of the NHL All-Star Game last week after he suffered a groin injury during a loss to the Winnipeg Jets. And now that the weekend is over and players are returning to their teams, we’ve learned that this season for the Columbus Blue Jackets is definitely cursed.
The team announced on Monday that Bobrovsky will miss the next 4-6 weeks because of the injury. Goaltender Anton Forsberg has been recalled from Springfield.
As of last Tuesday, Columbus was third the NHL in man games lost to injury with 170. Only Pittsburgh and New Jersey reported more. After a thrilling 2013-14 season which ended with the franchise’s second playoff berth, 2014-15 has been a nightmare. Seemingly every week there’s someone on the Blue Jackets getting hurt, a major reason why the team sits 14 points out of a playoff spot as the second half gets set to begin.
Being forced to miss All-Star Weekend was tough for Bobrovsky, as he told the Columbus Dispatch. His father had flown in from Siberia to see him participate, and we would have likely been treated to a patented Bob/Nick Foligno celebratory hug during the Fantasy Draft at some point.
“It is sad, really sad,” he told Michael Arace of the Dispatch. “I wanted to play in front of my fans, with my teammates (Ryan Johansen and Foligno). It’s the first time (as an) All-Star for me. It was the first time for my city. It was so special, and I am so disappointed right now.”
The Blue Jackets weren’t the only team hit by injury. New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano dropped a bombshell after practice on Monday when he announced forward Kyle Okposo would miss the next 6-8 weeks with an upper body injury.
The team’s second-leading scorer and John Tavares’ wingman played 19:33 during a 7-4 win over Philadelphia and then participated in a full practice last Tuesday. Capuano didn’t reveal what happened to Okposo.
Obviously it’s bad news for the Islanders, but it’s a blow that the team is in better position to handle than in year’s past. With GM Garth Snow beefing up their depth up front, there’s confidence that Mikhail Grabovski or one of their young forwards can fill Okposo’s slot while he’s gone.
New York faces a tough test right out of the break with the visiting New York Rangers Tuesday night, a game that may be postponed due to the east coast snow storm.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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