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Beauchemin joins the injured list

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Times Staff Writer

The Ducks learned that they will be without defenseman Francois Beauchemin for at least a month because of a lacerated spleen he suffered during the second period of Tuesday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks.

Beauchemin was injured when he collided with Sharks captain Patrick Marleau near center ice. He left the ice and stayed overnight at a San Jose hospital before returning to Anaheim on Wednesday morning.

The bad news came in waves at the suddenly injury-plagued Ducks. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is day to day after straining his groin against the Sharks, and center Todd Marchant has an abdominal strain and is also day to day.

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“Some people will have to do a little more or get put in different situations,” Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said. “It’s going to happen, and it’s good to learn how to deal with it as a group.”

Travis Green ably filled in for Marchant in their 4-3 victory over San Jose, as he scored on the Ducks’ first shot and did a commendable job at both ends of the ice.

The loss of Beauchemin and Giguere could hurt the Ducks more.

Beauchemin has been on the top defensive pairing with Niedermayer since his arrival in a trade last season. With Sean O’Donnell sitting out the last two games because of a foot injury, the Ducks have had to lean more on journeyman Joe DiPenta, rookie Shane O’Brien and recent call-up Kent Huskins.

Giguere was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam late Wednesday, and results aren’t expected until today. The Ducks could be looking at more of Michael Wall in goal; backup Ilya Bryzgalov also has a recurring groin problem.

Ducks General Manager Brian Burke said he isn’t actively searching for a defenseman or a goaltender.

“Right now, the plan is to get by with what we have,” Burke said. “Bryzgalov is taking a little longer than we thought. Giguere could just be a couple of games. Our team has played hard in the two games with Michael Wall in the net.

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“I think Huskins has been playing well. He’s filled in nicely.”

There was one positive development on the injury front: O’Donnell, out because of a severed tendon in his right foot, skated through a hard practice and expects to be in the lineup Friday against Carolina.

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Bryzgalov, who has sat out the last 10 games, took part in a 15-minute session at the start of practice. He said Giguere’s injury won’t speed up his timetable on returning.

“When you try to hurry up and force yourself to be healthy, you can reinjure yourself again and who knows when you recover,” Bryzgalov said. Carlyle made it clear that it is up to Bryzgalov to say he’s ready.

“We’ve done everything we can medically,” Carlyle said. “Obviously, there’s still some pain in that area. He has to get over that.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com

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