Perry likely to be out six weeks

Teemu Selanne slid an index finger along one of his skate blades Friday afternoon, illustrating one of hockey’s biggest hazards.

“It’s like a knife, you know, it’s so sharp,” the Ducks forward said. “If that slices the skin, you get bad damage.”

The Ducks were reminded of the danger of the sport when news broke that Corey Perry, their leading goal scorer, will be lost for the remainder of the regular season because of a partially severed tendon in his right quadriceps muscle.

Perry is expected to be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery late Thursday night at Denver’s Rose Medical Center to repair the tendon, which was inadvertently cut by the skate of Colorado goaltender Jose Theodore midway through the third period of the Ducks’ 1-0 loss to the Avalanche.

“Corey is doing well this morning, thanks to both clubs’ medical staffs,” General Manager Brian Burke said Friday. “His injury is not career-threatening, and we expect him back 100% in approximately six weeks.”

Avalanche team physician Andy Parker performed the surgery, and Perry is scheduled to be released this morning and return to Anaheim. Based on the timetable, Perry could be back for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, if the defending champions get that far.

Ducks trainer Tim Clark, who attended to Perry when the winger left the ice, said that the tendon was “70 to 75% torn.”

“If it became 100%, then you’re taking significant time loss,” Clark said. “You’re talking months and months. We got lucky by 20 or 25%.”

Clark said the cut was circular in nature and “probably three inches in diameter.”

“He had an inch-long cut in his sock,” he said. “When we took everything off, it was a lot bigger than we thought it was. It was very, very deep.”

According to several reports, Perry was sliced by Theodore as he went to the net and the goalie’s skate was in the air as he sprawled on the ice while trying to secure a loose puck during a scramble.

“As soon as he came to the bench, you can see the sock was cut and [Corey] was holding his leg and he said, ‘There’s something wrong, there’s something wrong, there’s a cut here,” Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “So we just cleared the bench and let him go and let our medical staff look after him.

“It’s a credit to the people in Denver and the doctors and whatnot that they got it under control and put everything in perspective right away.”

Said Clark: “If you look at the replay, it’s looks like an innocent play.”

The Ducks are suddenly reeling following consecutive shutout losses to Chicago and Colorado after winning 11 of 12. But the absence of Perry may lead to a larger issue down the stretch.

Perry had just three goals in 17 games since the All-Star game, but the right wing still leads the Ducks with 29 goals and is a top threat on offense for a team that runs into occasional scoring funks.

The Ducks were shut out for the 10th time Thursday after being blanked only six times last season.

More important, they’ve lost ground in the race for the Pacific Division title and watched San Jose leapfrog them into fourth place in the Western Conference in a battle for home ice in the first round.

Selanne, who rejoined the team last month, is expected to take on an even larger role in Perry’s absence.

Bobby Ryan may also play a key role.

Ryan, the Ducks’ first-round pick in 2005, was recalled Friday from the team’s minor league affiliate in Portland, Maine. Ryan, 20, had three goals and two assists in 13 games over two stints with the team earlier in the season. Carlyle suggested that Ryan might play with Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Bertuzzi.

“I think this is going to be another challenge right now,” Selanne said. “One key guy is missing. I think it’s another opportunity for some other guys to step up.”

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dan.arritt@latimes.com

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eric.stephens@latimes.com