Sabres captain Craig Rivet likely will have surgery to repair a nagging left shoulder injury that may force him to miss the start of next season, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday.

Coyotes captain Shane Doan had a Grade 3 right shoulder separation, the team revealed after losing Game 7 against the Red Wings on Tuesday night. "That injury is usually 3-4 weeks and he's trying to push it into 3-4 days," head coach Dave Tippett said. "I just felt so bad for him because he wants to play so bad. We even tried him in some battles [in practice] yesterday and it was obvious that he couldn't play at the level needed. "It was bad enough where... it wasn't a good injury." It was the fourth straight game the star winger missed after suffering an upper body injury in Game 3. "I'd give anything to be out there and help my teammates, obviously [I] had been waiting a long time for a game like this," Doan said after the game.

Defenseman Tom Poti will miss Game 7 of the Capitals' first-round playoff series against the Canadiens on Wednesday night after getting hit in the eye by a puck, according to an ESPN.com report. "It's a pretty significant injury," coach Bruce Boudreau said Tuesday, "so he's definitely out for tomorrow's game."

Thomas Vanek just has to tell his coach he?s ready and he?ll be back in the Sabres lineup. Marc Savard must convince doctors and Bruins coach Claude Julien that he is OK to play. Two of the top offensive players in the best-of-seven series hope to return for Game 6, when Buffalo will face elimination in Boston. The Bruins lead the series 3-2, as reported by the Associated Press.

Wild center Mikko Koivu will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and his right knee that will require a summer-long rehabilitation. The team said Thursday that Koivu will have the operations in his native Finland in the next couple of days, according to an Associated Press report.

Bruins forward Marc Savard has been cleared to rejoin the team, but it's unlikely that he'll play in the first round. "For me to stand here and predict he's going to be back at this stage would be unrealistic, so we're just going to go day-by-day with him and if he gets better sooner, great," coach Claude Julien said. "We're still working on getting him in shape right now and doing the things we're told to do with him and that's where we're at." Savard has skated three consecutive days in order to get himself back in game shape. He missed six weeks due to a Grade 2 concussion.

Avalanche coach Joe Sacco says Milan Hejduk will miss Tuesday night?s Game 4 against San Jose with an upper-body injury, as reported by the Associated Press. Hejduk left Sunday?s overtime win early in the first period after a collision with teammate Paul Stastny as they drifted into the Sharks? zone. He was helped off the ice and straight into the locker room.

Dany Heatley missed Game 3 of the Sharks? playoff series against Colorado on Sunday night because of an unspecified injury, according to an Associated Press report. A team spokesman declined to elaborate on the nature of Heatley?s injury. The Sharks recalled Dwight Helminen from Worcester of the AHL.

Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek will likely miss Game 3 against the Bruins on Monday night. Vanek, however, didn't rule himself out of the series tied at a game apiece. He was injured after he was hooked and slashed by Boston's Johnny Boychuk during a partial breakaway in Game 2.

Senators forward Milan Michalek will miss the rest of the NHL playoffs because of a torn knee ligament that will require surgery, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday.