Flyers forward Zack MacEwen out five weeks with fractured jaw

Under first-year head coach John Tortorella, the Flyers have prioritized playing a tough and physical brand of hockey. But for the next month or so, the team will need to cope without a significant amount of that toughness.

The Flyers announced Saturday that winger Zack MacEwen will miss approximately five weeks with a fractured jaw. MacEwen suffered the injury on Thursday night during a fight with Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno. After serving his penalty, MacEwen did not return to the game.

» READ MORE: Bigger, stronger, and healthy again, Flyers prospect Tyson Foerster is knocking on the door of the NHL

The 26-year-old underwent jaw surgery on Saturday at Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center in Camden. Dr. Guy Lanzi performed the surgery.

The news comes as a major blow to the Flyers (21-21-9), who beat the Winnipeg Jets, 4-0, on Saturday night in their final game before the NHL All-Star break. MacEwen has been an effective player this season while playing primarily on the fourth line alongside Nicolas Deslauriers and Patrick Brown.

Known primarily as an enforcer, MacEwen also has added some offense to his game, as he has chipped in four goals and has already tied his career high with nine points. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward also ranks second on the team with 130 hits and third with 54 penalty minutes. MacEwen’s six fights this season rank in the top 10 in the league, while the Flyers, according to hockeyfights.com, lead the NHL with 25 fighting majors thanks in large part to Deslauriers (nine) and MacEwen.

Winger Wade Allison, who also was injured on Thursday, did not play Saturday night with what was labeled a lower-body injury. Allison, who has a long history of injury misfortune, has seven goals and 11 points this season. The Flyers have not provided a timeline on how long Allison is expected to be out.