Tyler Bertuzzi will be out six weeks for the Detroit Red Wings after having surgery for an upper-body injury.
The forward left a 5-4 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabers on Wednesday late in the third period after being hit on the left hand with a shot.
Bertuzzi, who has four points (one goal, three assists) in nine games this season, missed 13 games earlier this season after breaking his right hand in a game against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 15.
“Very similar to the injury he had previously,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said Friday. “You feel for him. Obviously it’s a gaping hole within our top six but we’ve had some experience with it now and we’ve had some success without him out of our lineup.”
Bertuzzi had NHL career highs in goals (30), assists (32) and points (62) in 68 games last season.
“For a team already struggling to create some offense, obviously you don’t want a potential 30-40 goal scorer out,” Lalonde said. “I know he only had one goal in his return (from the first injury), but his chances — maybe two, three games he could have had three goals just being around the net.”
Detroit recalled forward Austin Czarnik from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Thursday. He has one goal in four NHL games this season.
The Red Wings (11-6-5) host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, SN NOW).
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