THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Blue Jackets right winger Derek Dorsett felt a searing pain in his right hand after he landed an
uppercut to the jaw of Phoenix's Dan Carcillo. So Dorsett did what any sensible person would
do.
"I started throwin' lefty," he said.
Dorsett, who suffered a fractured ring finger, will have surgery this morning and is expected to
miss three to five weeks. He was placed on injured reserve immediately after a 3-2 loss to Phoenix
on Wednesday.
"It's disappointing, sure," Dorsett said. "But hopefully I can come back pretty quick. It's on
my bottom hand (on the stick) so that might make it quicker."
It's a big blow to a team that has relied on Dorsett to provide energy.
Coach Ken Hitchcock said Andrew Murray would take Dorsett's spot in the lineup tonight in
Detroit, while Jiri Novotny will play Saturday against Washington in Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets didn't wait long to fill Dorsett's roster spot. They recalled defenseman Kris
Russell from Syracuse.
A lesson for Murray
Murray has been a healthy scratch in four of the past five games.
"He brings a different type of energy," Hitchcock said. "But if I were a betting man, I'd bet
that he's going to be one tenacious player now that he's back in."
Murray is not an agitator or a fighter, like Dorsett. But he's strong along the boards and wins
more battles for loose pucks than most players.
Why the scratches?
"I talked to Andrew about this, and the game in his head was too quick," Hitchcock said. "He
thought he was always being pressured with the puck. But when he looked at it, he wasn't being
pressured as much as he thought he was.
"He was winning battles for the puck along the boards, just like always. But then he'd give the
guy the puck back, because he felt pressure. And in a lot of cases, it wasn't really there."
Slap shots
Goaltender Pascal Leclaire, who allowed seven goals on 19 shots in a loss to the Edmonton Oilers
in his last outing, will start tonight. Hitchcock would not say whether Leclaire or Steve Mason
will start Saturday. Left winger Rick Nash had four goals, nine assists and 28 shots on goal in
eight games against the Red Wings last season. The Blue Jackets are 3-0-2 in their past five road
games, tied for the longest road point streak in franchise history. The Jackets went 4-0-1 from
Dec. 2-14, 2006.
aportzline@dispatch.com
