Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the third period of last night’s game vs. Nashville. Beauchemin underwent an MRI exam this afternoon which revealed the injury. He is expected to miss approximately six months.

"This is an unfortunate injury for Francois and we feel badly for him," said Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray. "However, knowing his character as a player and person, we know he will rebound from this and return to the ice at full strength. Our team has faced adversity before and we expect everyone to step up in his absence."

>> team release

What a huge loss for the Ducks, who were relying on Beauchemin to play 25:35 a night. He was tied with Chris Pronger for second on the team in ice time.

The good news is that this does free up some salary cap room for Anaheim, who recalled both Bobby Ryan and Brett Festerling today. Expect Kent Huskins and Bret Hedican to log far more ice time than they have to this point in this season.

This is going to be a real challenge for a Ducks team that has now lost three games in a row after going 8-0-1 just prior to this latest skid. I think it's going to be a real dogfight for them to get into the playoffs this season.

Maybe Brian Burke's leaving just in time.