Back in November, Zack MacEwen said fighting would always be a part of his game.
Unfortunately for MacEwen, that commendable aspect of his game will cost him a good number of games down the stretch of this 2022-23 season.
The 26-year-old winger is expected to miss approximately five weeks after undergoing surgery Saturday for a fractured jaw.
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It's highly likely MacEwen suffered the injury during a first-period fight against Marcus Foligno in the Flyers' 3-2 overtime loss Thursday night to the Wild. MacEwen did not return to the game following the bout.
If MacEwen is out exactly five weeks, he'll miss 12 games. His absence on the fourth line should give opportunity to Kieffer Bellows and potentially some call-up options at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
Through 46 games this season, MacEwen has played a career-high 12:19 minutes per game. He has four goals and five assists, which leaves him one point away from a new career high.
MacEwen's game is built on physicality, forechecking and, when needed, fighting. He has never shied away from a challenger.
NHL
"He's a big part of this team," Carter Hart said in late November. "He works his nuts off, he's one of the hardest-working guys. You see him on the ice, just how tenacious he is, like he's relentless.
"For us, as a team, to be successful, we need that, we need that out of guys. He's done a good job of showing other guys this is the way we need to play, we need to play hard, we need to be hard on the forecheck."
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