The Vancouver Canucks recalled defence prospect Luc Bourdon from their American Hockey League affiliate in Manitoba Friday after learning Kevin Bieksa will be out long-term.

Bieksa will miss six to eight weeks of action after suffering a lacerated right calf late in the second period of Thursday's 3-0 home loss to Nashville when clipped by the skate of Predators forward Vern Fiddler.

Luc Bourdon will get another chance to stick with the Canucks, replacing the injured Kevin Bieksa.
(Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Canucks defenceman Sami Salo took a puck to the face from teammate Alex Edler in the third and will be lost indefinitely with a broken nose. Salo recently returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a wrist injury.

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault told reporters that Salo's orbital bone was not broken, as originally feared, but his nose may need surgery to insert a plate.

"We have to stick together and fight our way through this right now," Vigneault said.

The Canucks seek their fifth road win of the season Saturday when they face the unbeaten-in-four Colorado Avalanche (CBC, 10 p.m. ET).

Both Bieksa and Salo play major parts on the Canuck power play, which entered play Friday ranked 14th in the 30-team NHL with an 18.8 per cent efficiency rating.

"Any time you lose players, especially guys like that, it's going to hurt you," said Mattias Ohlund, Vancouver's only healthy top-four defenceman.

Vancouver was already playing without defenceman Lukas Krajicek heading into the Nashville contest, which saw the Canucks' home record slip to 1-6-0 this season.

Krajicek is out four weeks with a fractured foot after he slipped on a sidewalk, aggravating an injury originally suffered by a blocked shot on Oct. 13.

Vancouver has lost four of five and sits last in the Northwest Division with a 5-8-0 record.

Defenceman Willie Mitchell said the team is being tested.

"It's a sink or swim thing," he said. "We'll see what we are made of. Players are going to have to elevate their games.

"It's a tough hill. Sometimes that's what you need is adversity to get things on track."