SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings will resume a rivalry Monday (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2) that's become even more heated in the wake of their latest encounter.

Early in Los Angeles' 4-1 victory Dec. 19 at Staples Center, Sharks rookie forward Tomas Hertl sustained a serious injury to his right knee during a collision with Kings captain Dustin Brown. Brown received a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct but no supplemental discipline from the NHL. Hertl underwent knee surgery and could be lost for the season.

"You never want to see anybody get hurt, especially an exciting, young player," Brown said Monday after the Kings' morning skate at SAP Center. "Hopefully he can get healthy."

VANCOUVER -- Given the injury-plagued season Jordan Schroeder has endured, you would be hard-pressed to use the word lucky in the same sentence as the Vancouver Canucks center.

But even Schroeder can see the good fortune in finally being ready to return after missing 44 games following ankle surgery at a time when the Canucks are already missing two skilled top-six forwards.

Schroeder, who also missed the first six games of the season after getting hurt blocking a shot in preseason action only to break his ankle in the third game back, returns to a team without two of its top-five scorers in Henrik Sedin (ribs) and Mike Santorelli (shoulder).

"Obviously you don't want to see your teammates injured, but it's good timing," Schroeder said of his return. "It opens up holes and opportunity for other guys."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Fans of the New York Islanders already are getting excited about their team's showdown with the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday in a 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2).

But for coach Jack Capuano and his players, there's still the matter of a game against the Boston Bruins on Monday to deal with before they can turn their attention to the outdoor game.

Capuano admitted after his team's morning skate at Nassau Coliseum that while the Islanders are keeping their focus on Boston, it's tough not to be cognizant that their next game will be a franchise first.

He also admitted he had seen some of the Rangers' 7-3 victory against the New Jersey Devils at the Stadium on Sunday.

"I watched a little bit of it," he said. "It's 200-by-85 [rink size]. To me it's the atmosphere. It's the crowd. It's Yankee Stadium. It's the Bronx. You're in one of the greatest venues in the world. It was pretty amazing what the NHL did. As far as the hockey goes, it was a big two points for both teams. I thought the ice was great. It was a fast-paced game."

DALLAS -- It was nearly one week ago that Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff called a closed-door meeting with his players, a meeting also attended by Dallas general manager Jim Nill. And since that meeting last Tuesday, which came just hours after Dallas lost 4-1 at the Nashville Predators, the Stars have won three straight by outscoring the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins by a total of 14-1.

Dallas has another challenge looming Monday when the Colorado Avalanche visit American Airlines Center.

One reason why the Stars have started to surge is because their power play is firing on all cylinders. In their past seven games they are 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) on the power play, a welcome sight for a team that has struggled with the man advantage for much of the season.

"I think our execution is better," Ruff said. "Our finish has been better. We've had a couple power plays where it's only been one chance but we've put that one in. I think lately our entries have been real good, getting in the zone, setting up and getting that first opportunity or trying to score off the rush."

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes have played themselves into the thick of the Eastern Conference race on the strength of winning streaks.

The Blue Jackets saw their eight-game streak snapped in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, but they will have the chance to recapture the feeling against the Hurricanes on Monday.

"It's contagious," Columbus forward Nathan Horton said. "You come to the rink and you know you're going to win. That's the good feeling about winning. When you lose after a long streak, you want to get back on the horse and in the win column."

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby most likely will have a new right wing when the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at Consol Energy Center (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2, RDS2).

After missing five games with a lower-body injury, forward Brian Gibbons was activated off injured reserve Saturday and skated alongside Crosby and Chris Kunitz during Pittsburgh's Monday morning skate. Gibbons has two goals, four assists in 13 games with the Penguins.

Before his injury Gibbons was one of several players to see time at right wing on Pittsburgh's top line after Pascal Dupuis sustained a season-ending ACL injury.

"We were playing pretty well together when we left off there a couple of weeks ago," Gibbons said. "Hopefully we pick up where we left off."

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky will be back in the lineup for the New York Islanders when they host the Boston Bruins on Monday after missing more than three months with a concussion.

In addition, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov was activated from injured reserve and will dress for the first time since leaving the Islanders' 7-3 victory against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 6 with a lower-body injury. Coach Jack Capuano said Nabokov will back up Kevin Poulin against the Bruins but might start Wednesday when the Islanders play the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2).

"Kevin will be in net [Monday]," Capuano said after the morning skate. "[Nabokov] is getting where he needs to be. He'll back up. [Visnovsky], if things go well, and they did this morning, he'll be back in."

CHICAGO -- Duncan Keith will return to the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night at United Center, but another lineup change is coming.

"We might have seven defensemen [playing]," Blackhawks coach Joel Quennevillle told reporters two hours before puck drop against the Winnipeg Jets.

Keith missed Chicago's last game while sick and Chicago lost 2-1 against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center and also missed practice Saturday. Getting him back should help the Blackhawks' puck possession, but Quenneville's news that one of the forwards will likely sit in favor of a defensemen raised a few eyebrows.

The Detroit Red Wings are expected to get a key player back into their lineup Sunday for their game against the Florida Panthers at Joe Louis Arena when forward Johan Franzen is activated after missing the past 16 games with a concussion.

Franzen has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 30 games.

"He can really shoot the puck," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock told MLive.com. "Any time you come back from an injury, I don’t know how you’re going to respond. I mean, [Darren] Helmer's an example of that. I don’t know what to expect from the Mule. We’re just going to play him and see how it goes."

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference will miss his first game of the season Sunday against the Nashville Predators. Ference sustained a head injury in a 4-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday night.

"He took a shot in the head and they're evaluating him," Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. "He's going to be greatly missed. He's our captain and competes extremely hard every night. He's being playing against the other team's top lines a lot. That's a big hole to fill and the whole group will have to pick up his minutes and what he brings."

The Oilers are also still without right wing Ales Hemsky, who is recovering from a bone bruise in his foot after blocking a shot Jan. 14 against the Dallas Stars. Hemsky has been practicing with the team, but is still not cleared to play and will miss his fifth consecutive game.