He did not travel with the Canucks to Pittsburgh Sunday, instead flying to Vancouver to heal for the next 6-to-8 weeks.
Vancouver ranks sixth in the NHL on the PK with three goals against on 25 penalties, not to mention one short-handed goal, with Beagle spending 23:34 on the ice this season killing penalties. He leads the league in shorthanded ice time for forwards and is the only forward in the top nine.
Soooooo what's the good news again?
Beagle and his high school sweetheart Ashley, married since 2009, are expecting their third child any day now. "I'm waiting for the call to head back," he told me a few days ago. "Both our sons were born outside hockey season, we had good planning there. This time it's early season as fate would have it, so I'll fly back for the birth when I get the call."
Sometimes you can't catch a break, this time Beagle's break will allow him to not only be there for the birth of his third child, but he'll be able to spend a lot of time with his new son or daughter while healing up.
Ashley hopes it's another boy, while Jay, who celebrates his 32nd birthday Tuesday, is thinking girl.
"I've got a feeling, my gut is telling me girl!"
The other silver lining in Beagle's injury is Adam Gaudette's recall from the Utica Comets. The defending Hobey Baker Award winner is coming off a three-point performance and has four points in four games with the Comets; Gaudette scored his first professional goal Friday night and has looked impressive in his American Hockey League debut.
Now, similar to the end of last season, he's up with the Canucks and those five NHL games played have him feeling more comfortable this time around.
