NEWARK, N.J. — It could've been worse.
Sean Kuraly won't be in the Blue Jackets ' lineup on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils , but the fact his status is only "day-to-day" is fortunate given the way he left a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
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Kuraly, 30, was injured when his stick rammed into his abdomen while battling for a loose puck behind the Toronto net late in the first period. The blade of Kuraly's stick wedged into the boards just long enough during a hit by Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe for the butt end to spear him.
After attempting to continue, Kuraly dropped the stick, skated slowly to the Blue Jackets' bench and soon collapsed in the tunnel leading to the locker room. It was a scary scene, prompting teammates to frantically flag down the nearest on-ice official to stop the game.
Kuraly was helped to the medical room, assessed with an abdominal injury that wasn't thought to be serious and transferred to Grant Medical Center for further observation. He passed further analysis and was released the same night.
He's the spark plug for the fourth forward line, which often gets deployed late in games as one of coach Pascal Vincent's top two groups, especially for defensive zone faceoffs. Kuraly's 50.2% faceoff win percentage is nearly even with Justin Danforth 's 50.3% for second-best on the team behind captain Boone Jenner (55.9%), and that's especially important with Jenner out due to a fractured jaw.
Kuraly has a knack for helping wayward forwards find their top form while playing as one of their wingers, including current left wing, Alexandre Texier . With Kuraly out, Brendan Gaunce shifts into the center role on the fourth line with Texier and Mathieu Olivier flanking him.
The Blue Jackets expect to have speedy forward Jack Roslovic back soon.
Roslovic sustained a fractured ankle Nov. 12 against the New York Rangers and was placed on injured reserve the next day. His given recovery time was four-to-six weeks, and Monday marked the six-week point from Nov. 13. Roslovic had a solid start before the injury, totaling eight points in 14 games on two goals and six assists.
He was playing right wing on the top line and logging key minutes killing penalties at the time he was injured blocking a shot. Roslovic is also versatile and has experience on all four lines playing all three forward positions. He could also step back into a role on the power play, but the coaching staff may opt to keep their two scorching-hot units together until they cool off.
Jenner's absence isn't just felt on key draws.
The Blue Jackets' captain is also the most willing and skilled forward at screening goalies, tipping or redirecting pucks and cleaning up rebounds around the net. After missing six games following the injury, which occurred when a puck shot by Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov deflected into his face , Jenner still co-led the Blue Jackets with 13 goals heading into Wednesday's game in New Jersey .
His fortitude around the net was a huge reason.
"How many of them were from two, three feet away?" center Cole Sillinger said. "Basically, all of them this year, so if you want to score goals, you're going to have to get in front of the net."
Sillinger, who centers the Jackets' third line, wants to score more goals and is doing it lately by getting himself into areas Jenner usually patrols. He scored from the net-front last week against the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals , his second and third goals of the season, and the plan is to keep scoring from that area while paying the inherent price to be there.
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"I want to be that guy," Sillinger said. "There's an opportunity to step up and I feel like it's a good chance, not only for me but for a lot of the guys in the locker room. So, I'm ready."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets notebook: Kuraly 'day-to-day' after scary incident
