Blue Jackets' Bobrovsky out three weeks, goes on IR

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who will be out three weeks with a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Bobrovsky left the game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings with 5:35 remaining in the third period after making 33 saves on 34 shots.

Backup Curtis McElhinney made five saves before allowing Jeff Carter's tying goal with 1:27 left in the third and Alec Martinez's game-winner with 27 seconds left in overtime of a 3-2 loss.

"Curtis has been very good, and now he gets his chance again," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told The Columbus Dispatch. "Now we're going to have to find other ways to win hockey games. Bobrovsky has been keeping us in games, being the Bob we all know and love."

Bobrovsky is 11-12-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .916 save percentage and one shutout, but was 9-4-1 with a 1.71 GAA and a .943 save percentage since Nov. 1 prior to his ninth consecutive start Tuesday. He has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of 12 games, including seven in a row.

"Bob is playing great," McElhinney told reporter Aaron Portzline. "You watch, and you can see he's on top of his game. That's some of the best hockey I've seen him play, and it's a bummer to see a guy that's playing like that and giving us a chance to win every night go down (with an injury)."

McElhinney is 0-4-1 with a 2.77 GAA and .905 save percentage in seven games.

"It's a results-based business, so I don't really care how good or bad my numbers look," he said. "If you're not getting wins, that's the only thing that matters."

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella expressed confidence in McElhinney.

"He's played good, and I feel very comfortable [with McElhinney]," Tortorella told the Blue Jackets website after practice Wednesday. "Hell of a spot [to come into Tuesday] night. We were in our end zone the whole game. The wave had already drowned us. He got a save in his chest and that's all he needed, he made a great glove save. ...he has no chance on the winning goal.

"I liked the way he responded in a very difficult situation and he's played well. We're very comfortable with him in net and we'll go [from] there."

Goalie Joonas Korpisalo was recalled from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis. Korpisalo, 21, is 5-4-2 with a 2.12 GAA, .928 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 games with the Monsters.

The Blue Jackets activated forward David Clarkson off injured reserve Wednesday. Clarkson has missed the past 16 games because of a back injury sustained on Nov. 3.