Report: Bobrovsky injured amidst major slump from his team.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have hit a funk that has knocked them right out of playoff contention and the bad news just keeps on piling up for them.

According to a breaking news report from Columbus Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline the Blue Jackets have now lost their starting goaltender to injury in the midst of their current slump. Portzline reports that Blue Jackets star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is currently dealing with a nagging upper body injury, one that forced him to miss Thursday's game against the Edmonton Oilers.

It seems like this is an injury that could cost him more time as well. Although Bobrovsky has reportedly indicated to Portzline himself that he feels he may be ready to go when the Blue Jackets next face the Vancouver Canucks, it sounds like there is at least a chance that will not be the case. The Blue Jackets are set to face off against the Canucks this coming Sunday but according to Portzline the Blue Jackets star netminder will need to be reevaluated on Sunday prior to him being cleared to step back out onto the ice for that aforementioned game against Vancouver.

This is obviously a very bad sign for the Blue Jackets who have now rattled off 3 consecutive losses and as a result have given up the spot that they held in the playoffs. When you consider that Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen pushed all of his chips into the middle of the table at the trade deadline and went all in with big acquisitions like that of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, it's quite clear that the Blue Jackets are all in for a deep playoff run. If they were to fail to even make the playoffs after such moves it would likely result in a number of heads rolling in that front office.

“We have to start playing like a team,” Kekalainen said as per Portzline's report. “Right now, we’re looking like a group of individuals who are pulling in different directions. We don’t look like a team.”

That is all well and good, but with so few games left on the calendar and a starting goaltender in banged up shape, I bet Jarmo Kekalainen is starting to sweat.

[pub]