Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot is in for a long, painful recovery after breaking his jaw when he was struck by a puck.
Methot told The Columbus Dispatch that his jaw was cracked in two places and requires two titanium plates be screwed in place to stabilize the bones.
"I'm like the Wolverine," Methot said, referring to the comic book character.
Methot is facing up to five weeks with his mouth wired shut, meaning he is likely to miss the rest of the season.
His mother, Betty, a retired emergency-room nurse, has traveled from Ottawa to Columbus to help in his recovery, including making fruit and protein shakes.
"I'm used to a 3,500-calorie diet, so this is going to be a challenge," Methot said.
Methot recalled the incident in which his jaw was broken, leaving a pool of blood on the ice as he raced to the dressing room.
"I just remember the weird feeling of it," Methot said. "I could feel the crack (of the bone) and I knew something bad happened.
"The last thing I saw was the puck coming right at my face, and it was just a natural reaction to protect myself. I had just enough time to react and turn my head to the side."
The Blue Jackets fell to the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 Sunday and they next host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
NOTES, QUOTES
Power play coming alive
--The Blue Jackets scored two more power-play goals, continuing a late-season awakening by one of the NHL's most struggling units. The Jackets are 7-for-23 on the power play in their last five games, climbing to 21st in the NHL.
--Anaheim's Corey Perry has had two hat tricks against Columbus this season, the latest on Sunday in the Ducks' 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets have allowed 26 hat tricks, but never two to one player in a season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm not making excuses: I've never seen anything like this before in my life, how bounces go against us." -- Blue Jackets D James Wisniewski, after a 5-3 loss to Anaheim.
ROSTER REPORT
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Steve Mason allowed five goals on 35 shots in Sunday's 5-3 loss to Anaheim. So much for the new pads and equipment he credited for helping him play so well vs. Minnesota a night earlier, when he made 34 saves in a 3-1 win.
--C Derick Brassard has been one of the Blue Jackets' most productive players over the last two months, putting up seven goals and 10 assists in 24 games. He's also had two fights, including Sunday's bout with Ducks D Lubomir Visnovsky, which he won.
--D Fedor Tyutin scored his first goal since Dec. 29 on Sunday, sneaking in through the back door with the Blue Jackets on the power play and jamming home a feed across the slot by Jeff Carter.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--RW Mark Letestu (broken hand) is out until late February.
--LW Kristian Huselius (lower body) is out until late February.
--D Radek Martinek (concussion) is out for the season.
--D Nikita Nikitin (left knee) is out indefinitely.
--D Brett Lebda (broken thumb) is out until late February.
--D Marc Methot (broken jaw) is out for the season.
--RW Jared Boll (broken foot) is out four-to-six weeks.
