Red Wings’ Justin Abdelkader out Saturday with fractured cheekbone

The Detroit Red Wings’ Justin Abdelkader will miss Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with a fractured cheekbone and is expected to see a specialist Monday, according to MLive.com’s Ansar Khan.

As Khan mentions, Abdelkader isn’t expected to be gone long term, so I’m guessing he returns for Wednesday’s game against the Calgary Flames.

Abdelkader has two goals and seven assists in 17 games this season. The 30-year-old also is one of the few Red Wings players with a five on five adjusted shot attempts percentage above 50 (51.52), spending most of his ice time on a line with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm.

No lineup decisions have been announced, but Daily Faceoff’s Brock Seguin has a projected lineup with Luke Witkowski slotting in for Abdelkader on the fourth line with Luke Glendening and Martin Frk. That move bumps Scott Wilson up to the third line with Nielsen and Helm.

Personally, I’d like to see Frk move up to the third line and drop Wilson down to the fourth line. Slotting Frk with a pass-first player in Nielsen would be a great way to generate scoring chances.

Frk has a goal in three of his past four games.