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Hillen out for months after Bouma hit

Jack Hillen, Lance Bouma

Lance Bouma #17 of the Calgary Flames hits Jack Hillen #38 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at the Verizon Center on October 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. Hillen was taken out of the game due to injury. (October 2, 2013 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Jack Hillen won’t be returning from Calgary Flames forward Lance Bouma’s hit anytime soon. He will have surgery today and is projected to be sidelined for months, reports Washington Post writer Katie Carrera.

Hillen sustained the injury near the midway point of the first period in Washington’s 5-4 shootout victory on Thursday. The 27-year-old defenseman stayed on his feet and attempted to skate off after the initial check, but he couldn’t seem to put any weight on his leg and fell to the ice.

Bouma wasn’t penalized for the hit itself, but he got into a fight with Tom Wilson as a result:

This is another unfortunate blow for Hillen, who missed roughly half of the 2013 campaign with an upper-body injury. This injury also increases the odds that 22-year-old defenseman Alexander Urbom will make his Capitals debut soon after being claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.

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