The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Vladimir Sobotka on injured reserve with a left leg injury. Sobotka will be re-evaluated in four weeks and the injury will keep him from participating for the Czech Republic at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

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.

At 8:32 of the second period in the Oilers/Bruins game, video review determined that Boston forward Loui Eriksson used his right skate to kick the puck into the Edmonton net. According to Rule 49.2 "A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who uses a distinct kicking motion to propel the puck into the net." No goal Boston.

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.

DENVER -- Semyon Varlamov, fresh off signing a five-year, $29.5 million contract extension, will start in goal Saturday when the Colorado Avalanche face the Buffalo Sabres at Pepsi Center. Varlamov went 10-1-1 in January, a franchise record for the month.

Center Paul Stastny and right wing Alex Tanguay will be game-time decisions. Stastny sustained an ankle injury in a collision with several players in the third period Thursday in the Avalanche's 5-4 win against the Minnesota Wild. Tanguay tweaked his knee in the third period.

Ryan Miller is expected to start in goal for the Sabres. Miller made 38 saves Thursday when the Sabres defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 and has gone 8-3-3 in his past 14 decisions. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff missed that game with an illness but could be back in the lineup Saturday.

NHL Live is joined by recently named captain for team USA hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics Zach Parise.