Thomas Chabot will be out 4-6 weeks for the Ottawa Senators because of a broken right hand.
Chabot blocked a shot early in the second period during a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday and said he felt a bone pop. He finished the game, and X-rays afterward showed a fracture. The injury does not require surgery.
He missed the final eight games of last season because of a fracture in his right hand.
Chabot has three assists in seven games this season and leads the Senators with an average ice time of 24:19 per game.
Chabot's injury is the latest blow to a Senators defenseman group that also is without Erik Brannstrom and Artem Zub.
Brannstrom sustained a concussion after he fell headfirst following a body check from Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck on Thursday. He was taken from the ice on a stretcher and was hospitalized but had full use of his extremities.
Coach D.J. Smith said Friday that Brannstrom has returned to Ottawa and "will miss some time." Zub is recovering from a head injury and is not on the road trip.
The Senators (3-4-0), who have lost thee straight games, visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SN360).
"It just [stinks] in general," Chabot said. "It’s the negative part about the game, the injuries. [Brannstrom's injury] was obviously way bigger than mine, and I think we heard he’s doing well, so that's the main focus. We're happy to hear that."
Smith said Jakob Chychrun will be relied upon more heavily in Chabot’s absence. The 25-year-old had a season-high 28:12 of ice time Thursday.
"[Chychrun] got an increased load and he did well with that time," Smith said. "Now we need him to do that every night. He's going to have to log big minutes with [Chabot] likely to not play. He's going to need to really give us big minutes."
The injuries have left Ottawa with four healthy defensemen in Pittsburgh: Chychrun, Travis Hamonic, Jake Sanderson and Jacob Bernard-Docker. The Senators haven't called up a defenseman from Belleville of the American Hockey League, but options there include Tyler Kleven, 21, who had two assists in eight games with the Senators last season; and Lassi Thomson, 23, a first-round pick (No. 19) in the 2019 NHL Draft who has five assists in 18 NHL games the previous two seasons.
"Whoever gets injured, there's other guys coming in," Chabot said. "Guys are ready to fill in the spots and take on a bigger role. That's what it's always about. We've got plenty of talent, plenty of guys that can do it. Obviously I'm confident in the group. The guys are going to come here tomorrow night and be ready to win some games."
