Chicago Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp will miss three to four weeks with an upper-body injury, head coach Joel Quenneville said Monday.
Sharp, a top scorer for Chicago, reportedly suffered the injury to his left wrist/hand during the Blackhawks' 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit Sunday.
The 30-year-old veteran, who is third on the team with 40 points, scored his 20th goal of the season during the first period, but was forced to leave the game minutes later.
"He's one of our leading scorers," goaltender Corey Crawford told the Chicago Sun-Times. "You guys know what he can bring. Just his presence in the room and having the guy there just makes you that much more confident in the room and going on to the ice. Obviously, that's a huge loss for us."
The Blackhawks, 24-13-5, are currently locked in a three-way tie for first place in the Central Division with Detroit and St. Louis at 53 points apiece.
According to the Sun-Times, Quenneville likely will recall forward Ben Smith from the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford IceHogs to replace Sharp.
Smith played a seven-game stint with Chicago in November and December, scoring a goal in a 5-4 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Dec. 2.
