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Nail Yakupov out 2-4 weeks with ankle sprain after strange incident with linesman

Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov will miss the next 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain after a strange incident with a linesman Wednesday night.

Linesman Matt MacPherson appeared to lose his balance off a face off between Mark Letestu of Edmonton and Riley Nash of the Carolina Hurricanes.

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He grabbed Yakupov, and dragged the young forward down, bending Yakupov’s leg awkwardly. The video of the play is above.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports JJ Khaira has been recalled from Bakersfield of the AHL to take Yakupov's spot.

Yakupov, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012, had scored just one goal since Oct. 18. He has 12 points in 22 games played.

Said the Journal on how the team will look fill Yakupov's void:

The big issue for the Oilers is how to replace him for the next month. The Oilers have one line that is scoring, led by Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall, and another line that should be scoring, led by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The RNH line will get better soon, I suspect, as RNH hasn’t been his old hustling self since he got sick. I have faith his current run of weak play is an anomaly.

The injury bug has been unkind to Edmonton’s young forwards this season. Connor McDavid has been out since Nov. 3 with a broken clavicle. Jordan Eberle has played just nine games this season, after missing the first part of the year with a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!