Ducks’ Cam Fowler set for surgery to repair facial fracture

It was a gruesome scene Monday after Cam Fowler absorbed a slap shot to the face, and now we know the extent of the damage.

A CT scan revealed a complex right facial fracture involving Fowler’s orbital bone, the Ducks announced Wednesday. The Ducks defenseman will undergo surgery Friday; a timeline for his recovery will be disclosed afterward.

The injury is another brutal blow for a Ducks squad that’s already eclipsed 100 man games lost to ailments. They were inching ever closer to a fully healthy lineup after Ondrej Kase returned from a concussion Monday in a shootout win over the Nashville Predators, but now they must contend with the extended absence of their top blueliner.

Fowler was attempting to block a Craig Smith slap shot in the third period, but the 26-year-old couldn’t swivel his head around in time; the puck deflected off his stick and rode up underneath his visor.

The force planted Fowler on the ice, where he writhed around until training staff eventually assisted him to the locker room, a towel covering his bloodied face.

Fowler isn’t just the Ducks’ top power-play quarterback; he’s ranked third on the club with 10 points and earlier this year recorded his first career hat trick.

The defense, once the Ducks’ strength, has struggled this season. Matters won’t become any easier for the unit from here.