Report: Ducks' Selanne Has Broken Hand

The Anaheim Ducks are not off to a good start this season. They're in last place in the Western Conference, one point back of Minnesota. Not only that, but a once-stingy defense is now one of the worst in the conference.

If that's not bad enough, the Ducks lost one of their best offensive players Thursday night. Trying to play through flulike symptoms, Teemu Selanne ended up suffering a freak injury.

During the second period, Selanne took a Karlis Skrastins slapshot in the hand. He left the game and did not return.

Reports are that Selanne suffered a broken hand, and he will be out four to six weeks. The Ducks will likely not confirm those reports until Selanne is examined further back home.

Selanne getting hurt while trying to gut it out through an illness only adds to the difficult start Anaheim is off to.

"I was this close to saying, 'No I can't play,"' Selanne said. "Some way, I wanted to play through it."

Now, Anaheim has to find a way to win games without one of their best players. Selanne had 14 goals in 25 games, and while guys like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are expected to carry the offense, they rely on Selanne's pure goal-scoring ability.

With that now gone from the lineup for at least a month, it might get worse for the Ducks before it gets better.