Blue Jackets’ Dante Fabbro leaves game vs. Lightning with lower-body injury
Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Dante Fabbro left Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury. The club announced on social media that he would not return.
UPDATE – Blue Jackets D Dante Fabbro (lower body injury) will not return to tonight’s game at Tampa Bay. #CBJ
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) December 18, 2024
Fabbro was injured after taking a hit from Lightning forward Conor Geekie in the second period. The incident was reviewed by officials to see if it were a major penalty, but Geekie received just a minor penalty for kneeing.
Later in the game, several Blue Jacket players went after Geekie, which led to a line brawl between the two clubs.
The 26-year-old Fabbro has three goals and four assists for seven points and 16 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He was claimed on waivers by Columbus Nov. 10 after being placed on them by the Nashville Predators, whom he was pointless in six games with to start 2024-25.
Fabbro spent his first six NHL seasons with the Predators, scoring 16 goals and 56 assists for 72 points and 159 penalty minutes in 315 regular-season games. He was drafted by Nashville No. 17 overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Before turning pro, the Coquitlam, B.C., native spent three seasons with Boston University in the NCAA. In 112 games, Fabbro scored 22 goals and 58 assists for 80 points.
Going into Tuesday night, the Blue Jackets were 12-14-4 with 28 points, last in the Metropolitan Division and 12th overall in the Eastern Conference. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and had lost four straight.
Defenseman Zach Werenski leads the team with 31 points (10 goals and 21 assists), followed by forward Kirill Marchenko, who has 29 points (11 goals and 18 assists).