By Canadian Press

Jagr out of Calgary Flames lineup with injury, Jankowski recalled

Oct 23, 2017 | 8:45 AM

CALGARY — First delay and now interruption has grounded Jaromir Jagr’s launch as a Calgary Flame.

A lower-body injury sustained in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild put the 45-year-old right-winger on injured reserve.

Playing on Calgary’s top line alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, Jagr broke his stick attempting a shot on the Wild net in the first period.

Jagr then skated to the bench, walked down the tunnel to the dressing room and did not return to the game.

“It’s something soft tissue,” Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan said Monday.

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A player on injured reserve is ineligible to play games for a minimum seven days, so Jagr will be scratched for at least three games.

Calgary (4-4) has back-to-back road games Tuesday in Nashville and Wednesday in St. Louis before facing Dallas at home Friday.

Jagr has two assists in five games for the Flames.

Second only to Wayne Gretzky in all-time NHL scoring with 1,914 points, Jagr didn’t participate in Calgary’s training camp.

He agreed to a one-year US$1-million contract three days before the regular season for his first foray into a Canadian NHL market.

Jagr asked for patience to get his game in order and sat out Calgary’s first three games to give himself more training time.

“He pushed himself real hard to get up and ready,” Gulutzan said. “You look at his career. He hasn’t been out too, too much.”

Jagr is 52 games from passing Gordie Howe for the most NHL games played in a career (1,767).

The Flames recalled centre Mark Jankowski from the Stockton Heat on Monday.

The 23-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., was Calgary’s first-round draft pick, 21st overall, in 2012. 

Jankowski didn’t turn pro, however, until he completed his college career at Providence in 2015. 

He appeared in one NHL game last season. Jankowski has five goals, three assists and is plus-12 in six games with the Heat.

His arrival prompted a shift of Sam Bennett from third-line centre to left wing. That’s not an unfamiliar position for the 21-year-old, who spent his rookie season there.

With the NHL cracking down on faceoff cheating, linemates with good skills in the circle is an asset, according to Bennett.

“With all the guys getting kicked out, it’s happening a lot more frequently now, so to have two centremen — sometimes you’re not feeling it in the faceoff circle — it’s nice to have somebody else to rely on,” Bennett said.

Bennett has no points and five shots on net in eight games. The absence of Jagr returned Micheal Ferland to the right wing of Monahan and Gaudreau’s line at Monday’s skate.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press