Blue Jackets’ Kent Johnson leaves game against Sabres with upper-body injury

Another one goes down for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On Thursday night, in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, forward Kent Johnson was forced to leave the game prematurely due to an upper-body injury.

Early in the second period, teammate James van Riemsdyk was tripped up, with Johnson ended up slamming into him and sliding across the ice. The former Michigan Wolverine was noticeably holding his left hand as he skated off the ice under his own power but went straight down the tunnel.

Johnson played 6:26 of ice time across eight shifts, registering on Yegor Chinakhov’s goal in the first period.

It is the second game in a row that friendly fire has cost Columbus one of its players. On Tuesday, Erik Gudbranson and Sean Monahan awkwardly collided in the neutral zone, close to where Johnson and James van Riemsdyk came together on Thursday. Gudbranson, who looked to have injured his right arm, was placed on injured reserve and is reportedly going to be out for a long time.

Johnson came into the 2024-25 campaign fully healthy after spending the final month of last season on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. He had a great start to this year, scoring two goals and three assists through the first four games.

The 21-year-old was entering the first year of his three-year contract extension with the team, which he signed in July. The extension carries a $1.8 million AAV through the 2026-27 season.

The Port Moody, British Columbia native had a slow start to last season, having begun 2023-24 with the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. In 42 games, Johnson potted six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. In 133 career NHL appearances, he has scored 24 goals and 39 assists for 63 points.