BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres will get forward Drew Stafford back in the lineup against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

The 28-year-old forward sustained an upper-body injury Jan. 25 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and has missed the past four games.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Stafford said. "We'll see how it goes. I'm anxious to get back and try to pick up where I left off when I came out last time."

Stafford had five points in four games before getting hurt against the Blue Jackets and has 18 points in 46 games this season. He'll be on the top line with Tyler Ennis and Linus Omark.

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will not play against the Ottawa Senators on Monday at Consol Energy Center.

After missing two games with an undisclosed illness, Letang continues to not feel well and will undergo further evaluations. It is uncertain if Letang's ailment could be long-term, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said.

The 2013 Norris Trophy finalist has missed 21 games entering Monday due to various injuries.

Pittsburgh is 16-5-0 without Letang this season, but defenseman Matt Niskanen said the Penguins will need to increase their quality of play if they are to compete with Ottawa after losing 3-1 against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.

MONTREAL – Backup Al Montoya will start in goal for the Winnipeg Jets when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday at Bell Centre.

Montoya's only start in the Jets' past 11 games was a 35-save effort in a 3-1 victory on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Carey Price will start in goal for a second straight day for the Canadiens, who will complete their traditional set of matinees on Super Bowl weekend after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Michael Bournival missed the game Saturday with a virus but will return against the Jets. George Parros will be scratched for the Canadiens, leaving rookie Christian Thomas to take his spot on the fourth line after playing 8:16 in his Canadiens debut on Saturday.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals will be without the services of both defenseman Mike Green (concussion) and forward Brooks Laich (groin) against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

Green, who has a history of head injuries, awkwardly absorbed a check from Columbus Blue Jacketsforward Boone Jenner during the first period of Washington's 5-2 loss Thursday. As the two raced for a puck in the Washington zone, Jenner beat Green to the inside, putting the defenseman in a precarious position as he was driven into the boards.

CALGARY -- Though there's plenty of pre-Olympic attention focused on Zach Parise and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild, both players have their attention focused solely on the Calgary Flames.

The Wild will wrap up the road portion of their pre-Olympic schedule against the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday. Once the break starts, Parise and Suter will both play prominent roles on an American team looking to win gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. But until that break begins, neither player is thinking about Sochi.

"Of course, I'm looking forward to it, but there's a few more games before the break and then we'll head over there," Parise said. "There's a lot to do before we get to go."

Calgary is the first of three remaining games for the Wild, who will also host the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins before breaking for the Games.

For now, Parise's eyes are on the Flames, who have scored 16 goals over their four-game winning streak. Calgary will welcome Mike Cammalleri back to the lineup. The wing missed nine straight with a concussion and ranks third on the Flames with 13 goals despite missing 17 games this season.

ST. LOUIS -- The news on St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka went from bad to worse Saturday after he took a spill late in a 3-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night.

After at first saying Sobotka would be evaluated Sunday, the Blues put Sobotka on injured reserve and said he would not be able to play for the Czech Republic at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

He will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the Blues said in a statement.

Sobotka suffered a lower-body injury when he was tripped by Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk late in the third period. Sobotka could not put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the ice,

Ryan Reaves will draw back into the Blues' lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous two games when the Blues (36-12-5) play host to the Nashville Predators (25-23-8) at Scottrade Center.

TORONTO – The Battle of Ontario is never lacking for story lines, and the matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Center on Saturday night is no different.

The Maple Leafs lead the Senators in the Atlantic Division by six points going into the game, and for them it's a chance to put a little distance between themselves and their cross-province rival, who hold two games in hand.

"I don't think there needs [to be] any extra motivation for this game," Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri said. "They're kind of right on our tails in the standings. We want to try to keep them in our rear-view as much as possible."

Kadri has been a key player for the Maple Leafs lately and has scored 12 points in the past 8 games. Toronto is 8-1-1 in the past 10 games.

The Maple Leafs held an optional skate but have a pair of forwards dealing with injuries. Carter Ashton has a swollen hand and Peter Holland is dealing with "lace bite," an inflammation of the foot tendons caused by tight skates.

"It's a new one for me," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. "To me it's crazy. It's something that a guy wears a pair of new skates in the morning, plays the game that night, and the next morning's got lace bite. Go figure. I'm at a loss to explain it."

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Two days after a frustrating loss at the hands of the team with the NHL's worst record, the Phoenix Coyotes have to try to regroup against the best the East has to offer.

Still on the outside looking in at a Western Conference playoff spot, the struggling Coyotes meet the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday. Phoenix is now 10-7-3 against the East after a 3-2 regulation loss against the Buffalo Sabres Thursday.

With a golden opportunity to gain ground in the Western Conference playoff race, the Coyotes lost to the Sabres for the second time in five weeks and were a frustrated group afterward. Phoenix captain Shane Doan called out himself and his teammates, saying it was more than a matter of playing to the level of competition.

"I don't even know what our level is because we're barely above average right now, if average," Doan said after the Coyotes lost Thursday. "It's not acceptable. Not even close."

Both teams will have their starters in goal tonight.

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets play their final home game Saturday before a three-game trip to the West Coast concludes their pre-Sochi Olympics schedule.

Injured forward Marian Gaborik will travel with the team but he will not play any games for the Blue Jackets until after the Olympics, coach Todd Richards said.

Richards also said it has not been determined if Gaborik, who suffered a broken collarbone against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 21 and underwent surgery three days later, will be medically cleared to play for the Slovakian Olympic team as he did in 2006 and 2010.

Gaborik was on the ice with the team at the tail end of practice Saturday morning for the first time in more than a month and did some shooting and skating but did not participate in drills.

After hosting the Florida Panthers on Saturday, the Blue Jackets play at the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles King and San Jose Sharks before the Olympic break.

Richards is targeting Gaborik's return to the Blue Jackets for the first game after the break Feb. 27 at the New Jersey Devils but said that is tenuous.

MONTREAL – Christian Thomas will make his Montreal Canadiens debut on Saturday with a familiar face behind the Tampa Bay Lightning bench.

Steve Thomas, a veteran of 1,235 NHL games, is an assistant coach with the Lightning and will have a great seat to watch his son play his second NHL game.

Christian Thomas made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers at Bell Centre on Feb. 23, 2013, a 3-0 Canadiens victory.

"I've already spoken with my father," Christian Thomas said Friday after Canadiens practice. "I called him [Thursday] when I got called up. He's very excited for me. He wished me the best, and he's hoping that I'll get a shot to play against his team."

Thomas was recalled from Hamilton of the American Hockey League on Thursday, but his spot in the lineup Saturday was not assured until rookie forward Michael Bournival was ruled out with an illness.