Ducks’ Matt Beleskey has broken left thumb

Ducks left wing Matt Beleskey revealed Thursday that he has a broken left thumb, suffered in a fight in the team’s preseason finale Sept. 28 against San Jose, and will be sidelined “a week or so, two weeks,” he said.

Beleskey played in the Ducks’ first two games and even had an X-ray taken at the team’s first stop in Colorado last week but it didn’t show the break.

Pain “kept on lingering,” Beleskey said. He was scratched for Sunday’s game at Winnipeg. Another X-ray Wednesday in Anaheim found the fracture and he was put in a cast up to the wrist.

“We’ve got to wait, take it off after a week and reassess,” Beleskey said. A brace used during games being a possibility. “I was playing, hoping it’d get better, but it was the same pain. So we figured instead of letting it linger for months, we’d,” set “it now.”

In the two games he’s played since twisting the thumb in the jersey of a San Jose player, Beleskey has played a combined 20 minutes, 32 seconds and hasn’t scored a point.

The Ducks will also be without right wing Kyle Palmieri (blow to the head) Thursday night in their regular-season home opener against the New York Rangers, but Coach Bruce Boudreau has said he expects Palmieri to play in the next game, Sunday vs. visiting Ottawa.

Penner on first line: Boudreau said following Thursday’s morning skate that left wing Dustin Penner will play alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the Ducks’ first line Thursday night.

Penner, with an an assist and a plus-minus goals differential while playing of plus-three in two games, was a healthy scratch for Patrick Maroon in Colorado — a decision meant to motivate the returning Duck who struggled last season with the Kings.

Boudreau said, “I’d love to find a regular guy there,” in the first line. “Dustin’s going to play there tonight. We feel he’s ready to play there. He was the guy we signed to be in that position. We feel he’s ready now. He’s done a lot by himself to determine it. I don’t think he liked sitting out, and hopefully he’ll play really well.”

Slumping Rangers? Boudreau dismissed the notion that the home opener is a soft touch with the Rangers coming off a 9-2 loss, on their fourth road game to open the season and with right wing Rick Nash (three assists) stung by a headache following a first-period hit to the head by Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart.

“The teams in this league have a lot of pride, they’ll be pushing hard,” Boudreau said. “They’ll be as good as they can possibly be.”

ALSO:

49ers’ Aldon Smith charged with felony weapon possession

Mark Sanchez blew up at Jets’ general manager after shoulder injury

Mike Ditka says he should have run against Barack Obama for Senate in 2004

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire