Columbus' Zach Werenski Out for Playoffs After a Phil Kessel Shot Broke His Face

Columbus Blue Jackets rookie defenceman Zach Werenski suffered a facial fracture after being blown up by a Phil Kessel wrist shot on Sunday and will be out for the remainder of the playoffs.

During the second period of Columbus' 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh in Game 3, Werenski's face became the final destination for a Kessel wrist shot, as the Pens' sniper leaned into one that caught a piece of Werenski's stick and deflected directly off his right eye. The 19-year-old dropped to the ice immediately, and stayed down for a bit before skating off under his own power while blood spewed from his face.

To add insult to injury, Brandon Rust scored for Pittsburgh as Werenski was making his way to the bench to tie the game at 3. The goal was controversial, but was allowed to stand as Columbus never regained control of the puck while Werenski was out of the play. Rule 8.1 states:

"When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player's team has secured control of the puck. If the player's team is in control of the puck at the time of the injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his team is in a scoring position."

Playoff hockey… — Zach Werenski (@ZachWerenski)April 17, 2017

A gutsy Werenski returned to the game with a full visor and a nasty shiner after receiving multiple stitches. The league's top-scoring rookie defenceman still managed to record an unreal 19:08 of ice time despite nearly losing his face, but would be forced to sit out all of overtime, as the swelling around his eye got to the point where his vision was too impaired to continue.

After the game, head coach John Tortorella praised his young defenceman in the most Torts way possible, saying Werenski has "balls as big as the building."

The loss is, without a doubt, a huge one for CBJ. Werenski's 47 points led all Blue Jackets defencemen and all rookie blueliners, while his 36 assists and 22:05 average ice time ranked No. 2 and No. 4 on the team, respectively. He recorded one goal in three games against Pittsburgh in his first career postseason stint.

Down 3-0 in their opening-round series and now without their star blueliner, the Blue Jackets are learning what it takes to win the hard way and are taking their lumps—literally and figuratively—at the hands of the defending champs.