The NHL has suspended Stars forward James Neal two games for a boarding infraction that injured the Blue Jackets’ Derek Dorsett.

The NHL announced the discipline on Friday. Neal will miss games against the Devils on Saturday and Hurricanes on Monday.
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British Columbia's provincial health officer says Canucks players jumped the line when they received swine flu vaccinations this week.

"If they got the vaccine and they weren't in any of the risk groups as individuals then they were queue-jumping," Dr. Perry Kendall said Thursday.

"I don't know why they queue-jumped because they only had to wait a few days."

The H1N1 vaccine will be made available to all British Columbians on Friday. [READ]

The Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has activated forward T.J. Galiardi and defenseman John-Michael Liles from the injured reserve list.

Galiardi has missed the last nine games due to an ankle injury suffered on Oct. 28 at Calgary. The rookie forward has appeared in 13 games for Colorado this season, tallying six points.

Liles, who suffered a shoulder injury on Nov. 6 vs. Chicago, has missed the last five games. The defenseman has totaled five points in 10 contests this year.

The Avalanche also announced today that the team has reassigned forward Chris Durno to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL and placed forward Matt Hendricks on the injured reserve list (retroactive to Nov. 14) due to a groin injury. [READ]

Coyotes GM Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-assigned forward Kevin Porter to their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.

Porter has appeared in two games with the Coyotes this season. He has also collected 4-9-13 and 14 penalty minutes in 14 games for the Rampage this season and is tied for the team-lead in scoring. Porter recorded 5-5-10 and four PIM in 34 games for the Coyotes last season and collected 13-22-35 and 14 PIM in 42 games with San Antonio. [READ]

Chris Phillips scored twice in his 800th regular-season game, leading the Senators to a 6-2 victory over the Penguins in the NHL on Thursday night, according to an Associated Press report. [READ]

The Stars have placed winger Fabian Brunnstrom on the injured list with a shoulder injury, according to an Associated Press report.

The move Thursday was retroactive to Nov. 7, the last time Brunnstrom played before hurting the shoulder in practice. [READ]

The Kings have activated defensemen Alec Martinez off the injured reserve list and have assigned him to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, Kings President/GM Dean Lombardi announced today.

Martinez has played in one game for the Kings this season – his NHL debut on Oct. 3. He suffered an ankle injury during practice two days later and was placed on the injured reserve list Oct. 29 (retroactive to Oct. 5). [READ]

The Hurricanes have placed goalie Cam Ward and All-Star center Eric Staal on the injured list, as reported by the Associated Press.

The team said on Thursday that Ward was put on the long-term injured list, while Staal was placed on injured list. [READ]

Swedish club AIK says it will play in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League next season if its members and the Swedish federation approve the move, according to an Associated Press report.

AIK, a Stockholm-based team which is currently fourth in second-tier league Allsvenskan in Sweden, said Thursday it has received an invitation from the KHL and has signed a letter of intent to join. [READ]

The Blue Jackets have activated forward Raffi Torres off Injured Reserve, GM Scott Howson announced today.

Torres, who was injured against Detroit on November 11, has collected 8-1-9 and 10 penalty minutes in 17 games this season. He ranks second on the club in goals, while his four power play goals rank tied for 14th in the NHL. [READ]

The Ducks announced today that the NHL club has recalled center MacGregor Sharp from the Bakersfield Condors, Anaheim’s development affiliate in the ECHL.

Sharp appeared in 15 games for Bakersfield this season, collecting 4-10=14 points with 10 penalty minutes (PIM).

Signed by Anaheim to a two-year entry-level contract on Mar. 31, 2009, Sharp finished tied for fourth in the nation in scoring with 26-24=50 points in 43 games with the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season. [READ]

The Kings have been dealt their first big dose of adversity this season, learning Wednesday that they will be without first-line winger Ryan Smyth for up to a month, according to an ESPN.com report.

Smyth suffered an upper body injury during Monday night's game at Florida. [READ]

The Blackhawks are in the process of finalizing long-term contract extensions for forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, according to TSN on Wednesday.

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The Wild have recalled right wing Danny Irmen from their Houston AHL farm team, according to an Associated Press report on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old has six goals, including two game-winners, and four assists in 17 games for the Aeros this season. [READ]

Alex Ovechkin scored in his first game back from a two-week absence to lift the Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night, according to an Associated Press report. [READ]