Cam Fowler to Have Surgery on Facial Injury Suffered Taking Puck to Face

The Anaheim Ducks will be without defenseman Cam Fowler for the immediate future after he suffered a serious facial injury during Monday's shootout win over the Nashville Predators.

Anaheim announced he suffered a "complex right facial fracture involving the orbital bone, cheekbone and upper jaw bone" after he was hit in the face by a puck during the game. The team will know how long he will be out after he undergoes surgery Friday.

Fowler has been a member of the Ducks since they drafted him in the first round in 2010.

He has 10 points (seven assists and three goals) through 19 games this season and sports a plus-minus of plus-three. He posted a positive plus-minus in each of the past two seasons and finished the 2017-18 campaign with 32 points on 24 assists and eight goals.

The defenseman was an All-Star in 2016-17, when he posted 39 points—his highest mark since he was a rookie.

Anaheim has postseason expectations in the Western Conference after reaching the playoffs in each of the past six campaigns and will need other defensemen to carry more of the load while Fowler is sidelined.

Look for the combination of Hampus Lindholm, Jacob Larsson and Josh Manson to be given additional responsibility while the Ducks battle for points as the season approaches the quarter mark.