LOS ANGELES - Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov will undergo a minor surgery on his knee and will miss about three weeks, Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier said Saturday before a game against Los Angeles.

“Markov’s knee is almost at full strength,” Gauthier said. “He’s undergoing arthroscopic surgery to clean up debris.”

Markov had been cleared for contact weeks ago and there was speculation that he might return this week during the team's California trip. Markov has not played in more than a year because of knee surgery and has played only 52 regular season games the past two seasons.

ST. LOUIS -- It's not often that a team adds a prominent player in mid-season. But that's what the St. Louis Blues are doing Saturday night.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Friday that when the team gets David Perron back from his year-long absence because of a concussion, "... it's probably our best free-agent signing this year."

After missing 97 games with a concussion dating back to last season, Perron makes his return tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blues, coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at Colorado on Friday, left Perron behind to get a good night's sleep, considering the team didn't arrive back in St. Louis until around 2:30 a.m. local time.

Perron, who picked up his parents from the airport after flying in from Quebec to see their son make his return, was one of a handful of players on the ice Saturday morning for the Blues. He said the nerves will kick in eventually.

"I think it was worse yesterday," Perron said. "Hopefully, it's going to stay like that, but I get the feeling towards gametime it's going to get more intense. I was so exhausted from the day (Friday) and all the nerves. I fell asleep pretty good actually. That was the good part."

Perron will play left wing on a line with Patrik Berglund and Matt D'Agostini and is prepared for that first contact.

"That's the nervous side of it. That's the last step of the process and it's the biggest one," Perron said of getting hit. "I've done as good a job to get myself ready ... I've taken some hits, taken some bumps already. We'll see how it goes. Just like anyone, if you get an extreme big hit like I got, it's going to be another concussion just like it would be for anyone. But I've got to go in there and just try to play a normal game and not think too much about that. I'm pretty sure I'll be a little more careful to start with. ... After 10, 15, 20 games, that'll all go away but I'm ready to turn the page tonight."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said Perron, who had five goals and seven points in 10 games a season ago, is as ready as he can be and expects a loud and raucous building tonight.

"Well, I think anybody that's missed this type of time, it's pretty exciting for the hockey community in general," Hitchcock said. "For me, he's been around so long practicing with us, he just feels like a normal player. The game is going to be good for him, good for the fans, but I think it's good for the game to see good players come back in and play. He's an exciting player, he's a dynamic player. He was really coming before he got hurt. So I think from a game standpoint it's exciting.

"I think it bring notoriety to the organization. A lot of people are going to be watching to see how David does. The NHL is happy for him. I think (San Jose's) Joe Thornton is happy for him. And I think from our standpoint, we're happy to get him going. It's unrealistic to think that he's just going to come in and be the player he once was. He's just going to have to get his feet wet."

The Blues (14-8-3) and Blackhawks (15-8-3) will renew their rivalry tonight and it will be the second matchup of the season. The Blues won 3-0 on Nov. 8 here in St. Louis, Hitchcock's first game behind the Blues' bench.

The 59-year-old coach said that the Blues, who are 8-1-3 since Hitchcock's arrival, won't be catching teams by surprise anymore.

"We're going to find out here in the next six or seven games," Hitchcock said. "We're going to get a push. ... You can surprise a team, now we're playing the second wave. When we start playing the Chicago's and Detroit's again, now we'll have a look. They'll be ready for us. They're not going to be surprised by our game anymore."

Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo was one of four skaters (with Perron, B.J. Crombeen and Evgeny Grachev) to skate Saturday morning. Colaiacovo will miss his eighth straight game tonight after injuring a hamstring on Nov. 17 against Florida.

Hitchcock said he's "hopeful Colaiacovo can play next week," and judging by today's skate, the Blues' defenseman looks to be on course.

"It's been a frustrating last two weeks, but the thing that's been keeping me going is that I'll be back quick," Colaiacovo said. "I've just got to keep working through it. The team is playing really well and that's really exciting to watch. It's motivating me to even be more part of it. I miss being out there. It's not fun watching, but in the same sense, I'm working as hard as I can to be
back out there.

"Another good skate today. It's been getting better every day, but obviously not as fast as I would like. But you've got to be careful with these things here. I don't want to rush and set myself back a bit. So it's been slow steps, but the focus is to make progression every day and do whatever it takes to get back out there."

Hitchcock likes D'Agostini's game so much that he will leave him in the top six, dropping Chris Stewart to the third line for the time being.

"I like the way D'Agostini's playing. He's playing with some speed, he's playing with some tempo," Hitchcock said. "For me, (Jason) Arnott's line gets more scoring chances in zone than probably any line. We need to finish those chances. You're talking six scoring chances a game, it'd be nice to see if we could finish those scoring chances. This gives us an opportunity to take a look at something.
"[Jamie Langenbrunner] can move anywhere and everywhere. He's a very versatile player. He can play left or right, he can play on the power play, he can kill penalties, he can do everything. He's going to be a versatile guy, and I think by playing it this way on back-to-back games, this allows us to play four lines and hopefully not wear guys out."

Asked about Stewart, Hitchcock said: "Stewy's just got to help Stewy. Stewy's got to continue to get better. I think right now for us from the red line in, I'm really impressed with what Stewy's doing. From the red line back, we've got teaching moments that we're going to have to work with. I think just understanding how to play fast defensively is going to have to be an adjustment for Chris. That's what we're teaching him and [Berglund] and even D'Agostini to play faster defensively."

The return of Perron has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into the lineup, as a few alterations have been made for tonight's game against the Blackhawks:

Alex Steen - David Backes - T.J. Oshie
David Perron - Patrik Berglund - Matt D'Agostini
Vladimir Sobotka - Jason Arnott - Chris Stewart
Ryan Reaves - Scott Nichol - Jamie Langenbrunner

Ian Cole - Alex Pietrangelo
Barret Jackman - Kevin Shattenkirk
Kris Russell - Roman Polak

Brian Elliott, who is 10-1 with a league-leading 1.34 goals-against average and .951 save percentage, gets the nod in goal. Jaroslav Halak is the backup after stopping 33 shots the 3-2 shootout loss Friday at Colorado.

The Blues' scratch for tonight is wing Chris Porter. The team assigned winger Brett Sterling as well as defenseman Cade Fairchild to Peoria. Winger Andy McDonald (concussion), Crombeen (shoulder), Grachev (eye) and Colaiacovo (hamstring) and Kent Huskins (ankle) all remain on injured reserve.

The Blackhawks had an optional skate as well, with only three skaters and two goalies on the ice. They are expected to go with the same lineup they used last night:

Viktor Stalberg - Jonathan Toews - Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp - Marcus Kruger - Marian Hossa
Ben Smith - Dave Bolland - Michael Frolik
Daniel Carcillo - Jamal Mayers - Andrew Brunette

Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook
Nick Leddy - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Steve Montador - Sean O'Donnell

Ray Emery is the likely starter in goal after being first off the ice; Corey Crawford, who played in a 5-4 shootout win Friday against the New York Islanders, would be the backup.

Defenseman John Scott and Sami Lepisto and winger Bryan Bickell were extra skaters today and would be the healthy scratches.

WINNIPEG – The Devils arrived in Winnipeg late after a 4-2 road loss Friday night against the Minnesota Wild, their third consecutive loss. Minnesota knocked starting goaltender Martin Brodeur out of the game with three goals on four shots, and Johan Hedberg finished the game. The defeat wasted a multi-point effort from Zach Parise and Adam Henrique extending his scoring streak to four games.

After the game Saturday, New Jersey will wrap up a four-game stretch away from home Tuesday night at Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to Newark for a pair of home dates.

The late arrival into Winnipeg meant that the Devils did not hold a morning skate. Hedberg is expected to start against the Jets, according to Tom Gulitti of The Record.

Travis Zajac (Achilles’ tendon) and Jacob Josefson (clavicle) both remain sidelined with long-term injuries. Rod Pelley did not dress against Minnesota – the 10th time in the Devils' last 11 games that he has been a healthy scratch.

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Jets know that December will go a long way toward deciding whether they are a team able to make a legitimate second-half push for a playoff berth.

The Jets (10-11-4) are in the midst of a stretch of 12 of 14 games on MTS Centre ice, where they have a 6-4-0 mark and are taking steps toward establishing a home-ice presence. After a lethargic 6-4 loss Tuesday to the Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg turned in a strong 1-0 effort against the Phoenix Coyotes two days later. Moreover, a club that has allowed the most opposing power plays this season spotted the Coyotes just two man-advantages.

“[Tonight’s] game is going to be important for us,” coach Claude Noel said. “We had a good game last time. Is this what we are?”

Ondrej Pavelec, who collected his second shutout of the season in a 33-save gem Thursday, will start in the Winnipeg net again tonight, the 17th time in the Jets’ past 18 games that he has started.

The Jets’ line of Evander Kane, Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler is finding chemistry after all three players endured slow starts to their respective seasons. Little scored the only goal Thursday night and now has five goals and nine points in his past eight outings. Kane is on a four-game point streak and Wheeler has picked up points in his last three contests.

The Jets will have an off-day Sunday before a Tuesday home date with the Boston Bruins.

“It would be nice to go into that day off feeling good about things,” Noel said.

Here are tonight’s projected lines and pairings for Winnipeg.

JETS

Evander Kane - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler
Andrew Ladd - Alexander Burmistrov - Kyle Wellwood
Tanner Glass – Jim Slater- Chris Thorburn
Jason Jaffray – Tim Stapleton – Carl Klingberg

Johnny Oduya - Dustin Byfuglien
Mark Stuart - Zach Bogosian
Arturs Kulda - Mark Flood

Ondrej Pavelec will start for the Jets, with Chris Mason backing up.

DALLAS -- It has already been a successful week for the Dallas Stars. On Monday, Dallas handed Colorado a 3-1 defeat at Pepsi Center, a building where the Stars have struggled in recent years. Three days later the Stars beat Ottawa, 3-2, in overtime for a second straight win.
   
In the victory against the Senators, Dallas got the game-winner from Eric Nystrom in the third period. Another big story in the win for the Stars was their power play converted an opportunity for the first time in 22 chances when Steve Ott scored in the first period.

While the Stars have struggled on the power play, they have been pretty adept at killing penalties of late, allowing just one power play goal in their last six games, killing off 17 of 18 chances in that stretch (94.4 percent).
   
Dallas (15-9-1, 31 points) will look to make it three in a row against the New York Islanders (7-11-5, 19 points) tonight at American Airlines Center, their last game at home before they head out on a five-game road trip next week.

“It’s good to try to leave with a win and have that good feeling of having the wind at your back, especially when you’re going on the road,” Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman said. “The main thing for us is to put a good 60 minutes together. If we can do that, the score will take care of itself. We’ve just got to play hard. That’s the main thing for us.”

The Islanders have gotten points in their last three contests, going 2-0-1 in that stretch. This will be the second game in a back-to-back after they fell 5-4 at Chicago in a shootout Friday night.
   
Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan saw that loss to the Blackhawks and knows that like recent foes Edmonton and Ottawa, New York promises to deliver a game with plenty of speed.

“What a collection of guys that can really hurt you – we saw the talent a little bit on display last night, some great individual efforts. We thought that they controlled the pace against Chicago, who is one of the pacier teams and they were pretty good,” Gulutzan said. “We’ve got to be ready for that pace and we’ve got to make sure we’re hard on these young guys with the skills they do possess for sure.”
   
Grossman is one of the Stars’ defensemen who will be asked to help neutralize the young, speedy Islanders.

“The games I’ve watched, they’re a pacey team. They’ve got a lot of skill up front,” he said. “We’ve just got to be ready for that. It’s another important game for us. We’ve had a couple of good games lately but we always want to keep building and getting better. We’ve got to come out and play hard. We expect a hard game because these guys are hungry. It will be a tough game.”
   
Dallas will again be without defensemen Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski, along with captain Brenden Morrow. However, their coach did offer some encouraging news prior to the start of what will be a crucial road trip for his club.
   
“We’re going to be very close but on the road trip, we will have [Goligoski], Daley and Morrow back at some point on the road,” Gulutzan said. “Morrow and Daley are probables for Thursday [at San Jose], so that will be good news.”

BOSTON – Toronto coach Ron Wilson told goaltender James Reimer during practice Friday that he would get the start Saturday night against the Boston Bruins.

Because of that the Maple Leafs' pregame skate at TD Garden had a little different feel this morning for Reimer, who has been out since he was hit in the head by Montreal's Brian Gionta on Oct. 22 and started suffering from concussion-like symptoms.

"It's more exciting, that's for sure. The last week, week and a half, I've been taking morning skates, but in the other net and staying out there until 1 or longer and working as hard as I can," said Reimer after he was the first goaltender off the ice, which was the first public acknowledgement that he would start. "So today it was a lot more fun to get in there, feel the puck, get a little sweat on and come off when you feel you've had enough shots."

TAMPA - Should old acquaintances be forgotten?

That’s a good question, and especially appropriate as the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the New York Rangers on Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum, because New York (14-5-3) features three old acquaintances that were here, and were big parts of the Lightning team that won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

Brad Richards, currently leading the Rangers in scoring with 20 points, was the hero of the Tampa Bay playoff run in 2004, and collected a Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoff MVP; Ruslan Fedotenko scored both Lightning goals in their 2-1 Cup-clinching Game 7 win against Calgary; and John Tortorella, the coach of the Rangers, guided Tampa Bay to 106 points and won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach.

But don’t expect fond memories to slow down a Rangers team that is sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division, just three points behind Pittsburgh.

“I don’t want to say that returning to Tampa is just another stop because that would be disrespectful to an organization and place that I worked at for eight years,” Tortorella said, “But I’m not here warm and fuzzy; we’re here to win.”

For the Lightning (11-11-2), returning after a two-game road trip in which they dropped both games, seeing their home ice again, where they have gone 7-3-0, is a welcome reprieve.

In an attempt to increase scoring against a Rangers squad that has allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (49), Lightning coach Guy Boucher scratched fourth-line defensive grinder Adam Hall for the first time this season and added Ryan Shannon to the line-up.

“The plan for today was to go after more offense.” Boucher said. “Adam Hall is playing great defensively; it’s just that we’ve been lacking secondary scoring. Not that Adam can’t score, but he’s not known to be an offensive player. The Rangers are beating everybody and seem unbeatable, and if we don’t score goals, we’re not going to beat these guys.”

Here are the projected lineups for both teams:

RANGERS

Artem Anisimov - Derek Stepan - Marian Gaborik
Ruslan Fedotenko - Brad Richards - Ryan Callahan
Carl Hagelin - Brian Boyle - John Mitchell
Sean Avery - Brandon Dubinsky - Brandon Prust

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto - Michael Sauer
Jeff Woywitka - Steve Eminger

Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron

LIGHTNING

Martin St. Louis - Vincent Lecavalier - Brett Connolly
Ryan Malone - Steven Stamkos - Steve Downie
Tom Pyatt - Dominic Moore - Teddy Purcell
Dana Tyrell - Nate Thompson - Ryan Shannon

Eric Brewer - Victor Hedman
Marc-Andre Bergeron - Matt Gilroy
Brett Clark - Pavel Kubina

Dwayne Roloson
Mathieu Garon

Here’s a look at the projected lineups for the New York Islanders and the Dallas Stars for their contest Saturday night at American Airlines Center:

ISLANDERS

Matt Moulson - John Tavares - P.A. Parenteau
Michael Grabner - Frans Nielsen - Kyle Okposo
David Ullstrom - Josh Bailey - Brian Rolston
Matt Martin - Marty Reasoner - Nino Niederreiter

Mark Streit - Steve Staios
Dylan Reese - Travis Hamonic
Milan Jurcina - Mike Mottau

Al Montoya (starter)
Rick DiPietro

STARS

Loui Eriksson - Jamie Benn - Michael Ryder
Steve Ott - Mike Ribeiro - Tomas Vincour
Eric Nystrom - Vernon Fiddler - Radek Dvorak
Jake Dowell - Tom Wandell - Toby Petersen

Stephane Robidas - Sheldon Souray
Nicklas Grossman - Adam Pardy
Mark Fistric - Philip Larsen

Andrew Raycroft (starter)
Richard Bachman

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who was held off the scoresheet Thursday against Washington for the second time in six games this season, is still finding his comfort level following his long absence with post-concussion symptoms.

"Some things are right where they need to be, other things aren't as consistent," the Penguins captain said. "Some things aren't near where they need to be. It's doing it over the course of the season."

After scoring twice in his first game back, Crosby hasn't found the net in the Penguins past five games.

"Finishing is one thing that takes a lot of focus,” he said. “You've got a split second to put a shot where you want to and you've got guys on you. It takes time getting into those areas and comfortable. That's something I want to improve on. I know it's going to take some time getting back into things."

The Penguins will turn to backup goaltender Brent Johnson tonight against Carolina. He will be looking for his second win of the season (1-3-2).

Carolina coach Kirk Muller did not confirm a starter in goal.

Here’s a look at the projected lineups for both teams in their matchup Saturday night at RBC Center:

PITTSBURGH

Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
James Neal - Evgeni Malkin - Steve Sullivan
Matt Cooke – Jordan Staal – Tyler Kennedy
Craig Adams – Richard Park – Arron Asham

Brooks Orpik - Paul Martin
Matt Niskanen - Deryk Engelland
Robert Bortuzzo - Simon Despres

Brent Johnson
Marc-Andre Fleury

CAROLINA

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jussi Jokinen - Chad LaRose
Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Patrick Dwyer
Anthony Stewart - Tim Brent - Andreas Nodl

Bryan Allen - Tomas Kaberle
Tim Gleason - Justin Faulk
Joni Pitkanen - Derek Joslin

Cam Ward
Brian Boucher

BOSTON – The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to try for the fourth time to solve the Boston Bruins, and a victory would mean no worse than a share of first place at TD Garden tonight.
   
Toronto will have James Reimer in net for the first time since he began suffering concussion-like symptoms Oct. 22. The Maple Leafs will also have some extra-interested spectators among the Garden faithful, as this is Toronto’s “dads’ trip.”
   
“It’s good for the dads, but I want our players to appreciate that they do have a dad who can watch them and all of the support,” said Toronto head coach Ron Wilson after his team’s morning skate. “You don’t get to this level without the support of your parents. And that’s the one big, strong thing in hockey, whether it’s Canada or the United States, it’s the involvement of the parents to get them to this level, because it’s certainly a financial burden, and a time burden as well. You’ve got all those 5 o’clock [in the morning] practices, and you’ve got to get to the rink and your parents are completely dedicated to your love of hockey because they have the same thing, and they share their passion with their sons.”
   
Here is the Leafs’ projected lineup:

Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel
Clarke MacArthur - Tim Connolly - Matt Frattin
Joey Crabb - Mikhail Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin
Joe Colborne - Dave Steckel - Philippe Dupuis

Carl Gunnarsson - Dion Phaneuf
Jake Gardiner - Luke Schenn
John-Michael Liles - Cody Franson

James Reimer
Jonas Gustavsson