Boston Bruins center, Patrice Bergeron, has been sidelined with a concussion after colliding with Dennis Seidenberg (Carolina Hurricanes) during a game on Saturday.  He remained in the hospital overnight and was released Sunday from the Massachusetts General Hospital.  I’m hoping he heals well since he was out for most of last season with a concussion.

Teemu Selanne will be off the roster for 4-6 weeks after his left quad muscle was sliced after being hit into the boards by Denis Grebeshkov (Edmonton Oilers).  The 38-year-old Anaheim Ducks star will not need surgery since no tendons were damaged.

A dislocated shoulder has landed Columbus Blue Jackets center, Derick Brassard on the injured reserve.  He will need surgery and will miss the rest of the current season.

Marco Sturm has been sidelined with a knee injury.  There is no definitive timeline on when he will return but the Boston Bruins don’t expect him back in the lineup for at least 30 days.

The Vancouver Canucks will have to do without Sami Salo for at least four weeks.  The defenceman suffered a broken rib last Wednesday night after being driven into the boards by Ethan Moreau (Edmonton Oilers). 

Minnesota Wild right winger, Owen Nolan, was placed on the injured reserve on Friday due to a leg injury.

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Finally, after what seems like years of speculation, Mats Sundin has chosen to continue playing in the NHL for an 18th season by accepting the offer from the Vancouver Canucks, which is what I thought he would do. 

In a statement, Sundin said:  “I am truly excited to be joining the Canucks.  Once I made the decision to return to play a few weeks ago, the Vancouver opportunity was simply the best overall fit. I want to thank Mike Gillis and the entire Canucks organization for their professionalism throughout this entire process.”

Canucks GM, Mike Gillis, said:  “We are very excited to have Mats join the Vancouver Canucks.  Playing previously in two Canadian markets and consistently being among team and League leaders in scoring, Mats has proven that he can excel under pressure. He adds a wealth of experience, leadership and skill to the Canucks.” 

I’m interested to see how he fits in with the club.  This is probably great news to many of the players in the absence of their star goaltender, Roberto Luongo.  I don’t know when Sundin’s first game is but I’m hoping to tune in.

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In a surprising loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the Montreal Canadiens suffered a far worse blow – their captain, Saku Koivu, suffered some kind of lower-body injury.  He first left the game early in the second period after tangling with Radek Smolenak but it seemed like everything was okay because he came back 10 minutes later.  Unfortunately, he never stepped on the ice in the third and today he’s going to have some tests to see how serious it is. 

I’m hoping everything turns out okay.  I always feel bad for a team that loses it’s captain.

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• Tampa Bay at Montreal – 7:00 PM
• Carolina at Philadelphia – 7:00 PM
• Nashville at Columbus – 7:00 PM
• NY Islanders at Pittsburgh – 7:30 PM
• Florida at Edmonton – 9:00 PM
• Minnesota at Phoenix – 9:00 PM
• St. Louis at Los Angeles – 10:30 PM
• Anaheim at San Jose – 10:30 PM

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• Tampa Bay at Buffalo – 7:00 PM
• Pittsburgh at New Jersey – 7:00 PM
• Boston at Washington – 7:00 PM
• NY Rangers at Atlanta – 7:00 PM
• Calgary at Detroit – 7:30 PM
• Ottawa at Chicago – 8:30 PM
• Phoenix at Dallas – 8:30 PM
• St. Louis at Anaheim – 10:00 PM

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• NY Islanders at Philadelphia – 7:00 PM
• Calgary at Montreal – 7:30 PM
• Vancouver at Nashville – 8:00 PM
• Los Angeles at Colorado – 9:30 PM

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Goaltender, Cam Ward, has been placed on the injured reserve by the Carolina Hurricanes.  The netminder who, in 18 games posted a 2.68 GAA and a .911 save percentage, is suffering from a groin injury.

Toronto Maple Leafs d-man, Luke Schenn, has been knocked out of the lineup for at least two weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

Niklas Hagman, also of the Leafs, left Saturday night’s game after getting a knee to the head and did not return.  There have been no updates regarding his status or the nature of his injury.

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• Tampa Bay at Boston – 7:00 PM
• Florida at Ottawa – 7:30 PM
• Buffalo at Pittsburgh – 7:30 PM
• NY Islanders at Toronto – 7:30 PM
• Nashville at St. Louis – 8:30 PM

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Edmonton Oilers centre, Sam Gagner, did not play in last night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings after suffering a minor concussion during Wednesday’s win over the Dallas Stars.  He was hit by Nicklas Grossman and was subsequently helped off the ice.  Despite returning to finish the game, things deteriorated slightly from there.  He is listed as day-to-day.

Minnesota Wild right wing Owen Nolan left during the first period of last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury.   

Raffi Torres is out with a knee injury.  The Columbus Blue Jacket had arthroscopic knee surgery Friday but will be sidelined two to four weeks.

Patrick Kaleta has suffered a head and neck injury that has knocked him out of the lineup indefinitely.  The Buffalo Sabres forward was hurt in a 3-2 loss  against the Montreal Canadiens last weekend.

The Edmonton Oilers placed left wing Robert Nilsson on injured reserve yesterday after he suffered an upper body injury on November 30 in the 4-3 loss against the Dallas Stars.

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Dallas Stars GM, Brett Hull, had mentioned that maybe Avery could use “medical help” so I wonder if he had anything to do with the request that Avery undergo a professional anger-management evaluation.  If necessary, he may have to begin attending structured counseling sessions to address, what the league feels, is “unacceptable and antisocial” behavior.  Here’s what NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, had to say about the situation:

“Mr. Avery has expressed remorse for his recent comments and has sought a professional anger management evaluation.  I will require that he follow through with that process as a condition of his returning to the ice and that he complies with any and all recommendations.

Mr. Avery has been warned repeatedly about his conduct and comments, which have too often been at odds with the manner in which his more than 700 fellow players conduct themselves.  Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, requiring a high standard of personal behavior. Mr. Avery forfeits that privilege for six games.”

I wonder what will happen with the Stars.  They have eluded to the fact that they may not want Avery back.  Do you think he will dress for the December 16th game against the Phoenix Coyotes?

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