Faced with a winless slide and another potential loss, the Maple Leafs decided to turn around their helmets in an effort to turn their luck in the shootout.

Phil Kessel and Niklas Hagman each responded with shootout goals, and Vesa Toskala turned aside a pair of Washington shooters, giving Toronto a 2-1 win over the Capitals on Saturday night, according to an Associated Press report. [READ]

Devils center Dainius Zubrus will be out four to six weeks because of a hairline fracture on his kneecap, suffered when he blocked a shot in Thursday night's shootout loss to the Predators, according to an ESPN.com report.


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Canucks LW Daniel Sedin, the team's leading goal scorer the last three seasons, is expected to return Sunday against the Blackhawks, according to an ESPN.com report.

He has been out for 18 games due to a broken foot. [READ]

The Lightning have recalled defenseman Mike Lundin from the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL, Executive Vice President and GM Brian Lawton announced today. Defenseman Matt Smaby was also recalled from his conditioning assignment.

Lundin has played in 106 career NHL games, all with Tampa Bay.

Smaby, assigned to Norfolk for conditioning on November 16, played in two games with the Admirals during the assignment, recording three shots on goal. [READ]

Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik will return to the lineup Saturday against the Thrashers, a report said Friday.

Orpik has been out since November 10 because of an unspecified injury. [READ]

Dany Heatley scored three times, Joe Thornton recorded his 600th NHL assist, and the Sharks beat the Flyers 6-3 on Friday night, according to an Associated Press report.

“When you have a chance to play with guys on a line like that it’s just fun,” Heatley said. “Those guys open up a lot of room.” [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]

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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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]

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]

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]