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Senators’ Spezza to have back surgery, out “indefinitely”

Jason Spezza

Jason Spezza #19 of the Ottawa Senators skates on the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on March 31, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (March 30, 2012 - Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

The Ottawa Senators will have to get by without Jason Spezza for a while. The 29-year-old star forward will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc on Friday and is out “indefinitely,” the club announced today.

It’s not clear how long his recovery will take -- the Sens are hoping he’ll be back for the playoffs.

With Spezza gone, the Senators will need to look elsewhere for offense. Fortunately, the team hasn’t had any problems in that regard early this season. Forwards Kyle Turris and Milan Michalek are off to superb starts while Erik Karlsson continues to be one of the top offensive defenseman in the NHL.

Ottawa has a 5-1-1 record and has averaged an impressive 3.43 goals per contest. Still, maintaining that pace will be quite a challenge, especially without its leading scorer in 2011-12.

Spezza has already missed two games due to the injury, both of them Sens victories.