ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues center Vladimir Sobotka was scratched from the lineup Tuesday against the Phoenix Coyotes with the flu.

Sobotka was not part of the morning skate earlier in the day, but coach Ken Hitchcock was hopeful Sobotka, who has nine points in the past seven games, could play.

Dmitrij Jaskin, recalled earlier Tuesday from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, suited up in Sobotka's place.

MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens center David Desharnais (virus) is not in the lineup Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils.

Desharnais is eighth in team scoring with 21 points in 44 games.

His absence forced Canadiens coach Michel Therrien to juggle his forward lines, and to dress seven defensemen with Francis Bouillon was in uniform to take Desharnais’ spot in the lineup.

CHICAGO -- The Colorado Avalanche are going through a tough stretch with injuries and the picture didn't get much better Tuesday at United Center.

Center Paul Stastny did not participate in the morning skate because of an undisclosed leg injury that forced him to leave Colorado's previous game Friday at the Minnesota Wild and will not face the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Stastny, who has 13 goals and 21 assists in 43 games, also sat out practice Monday.

"He's day-to-day and he's not ready to play [Tuesday]," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. "We're going to play seven [defensemen] because Paul's not ready. We're going to have 20 guys, so everybody's going to have their share of ice time, I guess."

DALLAS -- Exactly two weeks into 2014 the Dallas Stars still are after their first win of the year. A 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday extended the Stars' losing streak to six games, the franchise's longest since the 1995-96 season.

The Stars have not lost seven straight in regulation since the club's 1993 move to Dallas. It last happened in the 1989-90 season when the Minnesota North Stars were winless between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12, 1989, a stretch where they were outscored 30-11.

However, Stars captain Jamie Benn said he isn't too concerned with where this current streak falls in club history. Instead, he's focused on ending it Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers at American Airlines Center.

"Losing's never fun," Benn said. "You've got to play a full 60 minutes in this League to get a victory. We've got to find a way to get the job done [Tuesday]."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding practiced with the team prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Harding has been out for two weeks due to illness.

Harding and the Wild have refused divulge whether his illness is related to his multiple sclerosis. He missed four games in December as doctors adjusted his medication for the disease.

"Wasn't feeling good, obviously," Harding said. "If I felt even a little bit like I could play, I would have. But there are some things that are out of my control."

Harding said he's been skating on his own for "three or four" days now, but Tuesday was seen as a major step toward getting him back in the lineup soon. Entering play Tuesday his 1.65 goals-against average is the best in the NHL and his .933 save percentage is second-best.

NEW YORK -- Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper wouldn't guarantee that No. 1 goaltender Ben Bishop would get the start Tuesday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, but he did sound confident that Bishop would get his first start since sustaining a sprained right wrist Jan. 5 in a 5-3 loss at the Edmonton Oilers.

"Bishop has got a real good chance to be in [Tuesday]," Cooper said Tuesday, hours after the Lightning lost 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, a game that saw them allow a pair of third-period power-play goals that cost them the game.

The hope is that Bishop, who ranks in the NHL's top five in wins, save percentage and shutouts, can provide a spark. Tampa Bay has dropped three of its past five during a stretch that will see them play their eighth game in their eighth different city when they take on the Rangers.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The New York Islanders will try to extend a couple of impressive streaks Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, but they will have to do so without the services of defenseman Travis Hamonic.

Hamonic, who is second on the Islanders in ice time at 24:57 per game, will miss his first game of the season. Coach Jack Capuano said Hamonic was day to day with an upper-body injury that kept him out for the third period of a 4-2 victory against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

The Islanders already are without defensemen Radek Martinek, who has missed the past 21 games due to back spasms, and Lubomir Visnovsky, who hasn't played since Oct. 19 because of a concussion.

Matt Carkner, a healthy scratch the past two games, will move into the lineup to replace Hamonic.

"Losing a guy that's played 25 minutes, that's a huge loss for our hockey team," Capuano said. "We're going to have to make some adjustments as the game goes on, there's no question."

MONTREAL -- New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer is hoping his big forward line starts to play like it when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

The line of Jaromir Jagr, Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus is DeBoer's top forward unit, but they haven't been producing at a rate that befits that title.

The three have combined to total one goal and six assists during the past 10 games, and DeBoer said his offensively-challenged club needs more from them if the Devils hope to compete.

"The chances are there. They haven't finished the way we need them to," DeBoer said. "There's no doubt we need those guys to get us a goal a night."

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues' revolving injured-reserve door took a couple more turns Tuesday.

Defenseman Roman Polak, who's missed 10 games with a fractured left ankle sustained Dec. 19 against the Montreal Canadiens, will return to the lineup when the Blues host the slumping Phoenix Coyotes.

"I feel pretty good out there," Polak said. "I had a good practice, good back-skating with the coaches. [Monday] was my second full practice with the team and I felt pretty good."

With Polak coming off injured reserve, center Maxim Lapierre was placed on IR retroactive to Friday with a lower-body injury sustained late in a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

The Blues recalled forward Dmitrij Jaskin from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League to take Lapierre's spot on the roster.

NASHVILLE -- Carter Hutton will get his first start in goal in nine days for the Nashville Predators on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena.

Hutton's previous start before a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 5 came Dec. 27. Rookie Marek Mazanec primarily has handled the Predators' goaltending duties in the absence of injured starter Pekka Rinne. Mazanec played four games in the past week, including back-to-back home starts Saturday and Sunday.

It also is Hutton's first start since he allowed a late, game-winning goal to the Hurricanes' Jeff Skinner after which coach Barry Trotz said of Hutton's performance: "That's not good enough for this League. He wasn't strong at all."