Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the team announced Friday.

Ellis suffered the ailment during Wednesday's Winter Classic when he took an elbow to the head from Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry. The hit occurred just 2:44 into the game and Perry was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Ellis did not return to the contest.

The 5-foot-10 rearguard won't be eligible to return off injured reserve until Jan. 8, and he'll miss a minimum of three games.

Losing Ellis long term would be a huge blow for the struggling Predators. He forms one of the most dominant blue-line pairings in the league with captain Roman Josi. Nashville owns a 61% share of high-danger scoring chances with Ellis on the ice at five-on-five, which is the best mark among all NHL defensemen. Additionally, the club's expected goals-for percentage of 58.22 with Ellis deployed ranks third among rearguards.

Ellis has also taken a leap offensively this season and is on pace for 12 goals and a career-high 58 points. The 29-year-old leads the team in blocked shots and ranks second in average ice time, logging 23:34 per contest.

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