The Boston Bruins will be without their second-leading scorer until at least next month.
The Bruins placed winger Jake DeBrusk on long-term injured reserve Thursday, announcing he suffered "hand and lower-body injuries" in Monday's win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the NHL Winter Classic.
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Boston pegged DeBrusk's expected recovery time at approximately four weeks, which means he could return during the first week of February. The team recalled forward Chris Wagner from its AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, to take DeBrusk's place on the roster.
Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported DeBrusk suffered a fractured fibula in Monday's game, so while losing DeBrusk for four weeks will be a tough blow, it wouldn't be the worst-case scenario if he misses a month during the regular season with the Bruins still owning the NHL's best record.
DeBrusk's impact has been undeniable, though -- he has 16 goals through 36 games and ranks third on the team in points (30) behind only David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand -- and the B's will need other forwards to step up in the scoring department while he's out.
DeBrusk was Boston's first-line right winger, and based on their lines at Wednesday's practice, it appears they'll reunite the "Perfection Line" of Pastrnak, Marchand and Patrice Bergeron in his absence.