Flyers’ Right Winger Breaks Jaw in Fight, Out for 5 Weeks

Feisty right winger Zack MacEwen kept rubbing his jaw after Thursday night’s fight against the Wild’s Marcus Foligno in Minnesota.

Now we know why.

Before Saturday’s night game in Winnipeg, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that MacEwen underwent surgery earlier in the day to repair a fractured jaw.

He will miss about five weeks.

MacEwen got in a few early punches in the fight, but Foligno rallied and won a decision. The Philadelphia Flyers eventually dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Wild.

In 46 games this season, MacEwen, 26, has four goals, five assists, and a minus-9 rating while primarily being used on the fourth line. He has 54 penalty minutes and has been in six fights, which is tied for eighth in the NHL. His teammate, Nick Deslauriers, has been in a league-high nine fights.

Here’s MacEwen’s scrap with Foligno, along with other fights from that game:

3 FIGHTS IN 15 SECONDS @hockeyfights pic.twitter.com/yjuefOgUG3

— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) January 27, 2023

After the first-period fight, MacEwen sat out the rest of the game. Kieffer Bellows, 24, is expected to replace him in Saturday’s lineup. Bellows has no points in 12 games with the Flyers since being claimed off waivers from the Islanders. earlier this season. He has divided time between the Phantoms and Flyers.

Bellows, a first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2019 draft, last played for the Flyers on Dec. 17.

Wade Allison was injured blocking a shot Thursday and will also be sidelined. The Flyers will go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Defenseman Justin Braun will play for the first time since Jan. 2.

The Flyers (20-21-9) are trying to snap a three-game losing streak in their final game before the All-Star break.  Winnipeg (31-18-1) will be attempting to sweep the two-game season series against the Flyers. The Jets registered a 5-3 win Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.