Ryan Getzlaf placed on IR with multiple sinus fractures

The Anaheim Ducks received some tough news today, as star player and team captain Ryan Getzlaf was placed on the injured reserve with multiple nasal fractures after a puck hit him in the forehead during Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. That rules him out for at least Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers and Sunday’s match against the Chicago Blackhawks, but the question is: how long will he be sidelined?

It certainly sounds like a grueling injury on name alone. The Ducks report that Getzlaf will see a specialist and undergo testing on Friday, so we might not get much of an update until this weekend or early next week.

Obviously, Getzlaf is an enormous piece to the puzzle in Anaheim. So far this season, he scored 13 goals and added 24 assists for 37 points in 40 games. That pace is actually a bit below average for the power forward, being that he produced 82 and 91 points before in his short career. Beyond that he is a big, mean talent who makes the team tougher to play against.

Here is a quick explanation of how the injury took place, according to the team:

Getzlaf was struck by a shot off the stick of Coyotes forward Shane Doan 4:38 into the second period, which glanced off the stick of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler and caught Getzlaf just under the helmet. The Ducks captain left the ice bleeding profusely and did not return to a game Anaheim eventually won 3-1. He received 12 to 15 stitches on the cut, according to Ducks coach Randy Carlyle.

As always, we’ll keep you updated on Getzlaf’s status, whether word surfaces Friday, this weekend or later.