BOSTON -- Craig Anderson made 27 saves in his second shutout of the season Monday in the Ottawa Senators' final game before the Christmas break.

That performance in a 5-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, however, didn't alter Senators coach Paul MacLean's plans for his team's first half of a home-and-home series against the Boston Bruins that starts Friday.

Robin Lehner will get the start in net at TD Garden.

"The plan was in place and we're sticking to it," MacLean said after the Senators' morning skate.

Tuukka Rask is expected to be the Bruins' starting goaltender, but he's scheduled to have a new backup. Niklas Svedberg, 24, was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League to join Rask and Chad Johnson on the NHL roster. Bruins coach Claude Julien said he plans to give Svedberg a start in the near future.

It was a mixed bag for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, as defenseman Brooks Orpik and forward Tanner Glass were activated off injured reserve and appear set to play Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

However, forward Pascal Dupuis, who left the Penguins' game against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 23 after just two shifts, needs surgery to repair an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. The injury could sideline him for the remainder of the season.

"Pascal Dupuis will be going for ACL knee surgery in a couple of weeks and is out indefinitely," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "The timetable is likely that he'll be out for the remainder of the season but we'll see after the surgery in a couple weeks."

Dupuis had seven goals and 20 points while playing in all 39 games this season. He scored 20 goals in 48 games last season and has shown the ability to play anywhere from a top-line role with Sidney Crosby to more of a checking-line assignment.

"There's a lot that he brings," Bylsma said of Dupuis. "He's also a big part of that dressing room. That is part of what we'll miss from Pascal."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich, who just returned from an 11-game absence precipitated by the latest flare-up of his lingering groin injury, will not play Friday against the New York Rangers.

"There's been a bit of a change," Laich said following Washington's morning skate. "To be honest, I don't know what I'm at liberty to say and I'm kind of in a holding pattern right now. The indication that I've got is that I won't be playing [Friday]. Other than that, I honestly don't know what else to tell you."

The 30-year-old, who missed all but nine games last season with the aforementioned injury that ultimately required abdominal surgery, skated 13:23 in the Capitals' 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, his first action since Nov. 27.

He made it through the game OK but woke up Tuesday with considerable discomfort. The pain has partially subsided but not enough to risk putting Laich back in the lineup.

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils forward Ryane Clowe will to return to the lineup for the first time in over two months Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Prudential Center.

Clowe was skating on the fourth line with center Andrei Loktionov and Stephen Gionta during the team's morning skate at Prudential Center and declared himself ready to go.

"It'll be interesting to see how I feel [Friday] but as of right now I'm in," Clowe said. "I just want to get my legs going underneath me. I'm not going to do anything crazy out there but it'll be good to get back into it."

Clowe has been out since sustaining a concussion Oct. 13, his sixth game with the Devils after signing a five-year, $24.25 million deal during the summer.

He has one assist, five penalty minutes and a minus-5 rating in six games.

Marko Dano scored two goals and added an assist as Slovakia beat Germany 9-2 in a Group A preliminary-round game Friday at Malmo Isstadion on Day 2 of the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Dano, taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 27th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, scored at 12:38 of the first period to give Slovakia a 2-0 lead, and again 1:57 into the second to make it 4-0.

Slovakia's top line dominated the offense. Captain Milan Kolena had two goals and an assist, Martin Reway, a 2013 fourth-round pick (No. 116) of the Montreal Canadiens, had a goal and three assists, as did David Griger. Goalie Richard Sabol stopped 19 of 21 shots.

"We got off to a really good start and just kept on going," Kolena told the IIHF website.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jiri Tlusty underwent an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

Tlusty has six goals and 10 points in 37 games this season.

To replace him on the roster the Hurricanes recalled forward Zach Boychuk from Charlotte of the American Hockey League.

It's the holiday season and plenty of people are turning their attention to the great gifts they received this year. With a holiday theme, I have to talk about some of the best gifts NHL fans have seen so far this season.

The best gift the League has received is that all three California-based teams are playing great. It's had a great impact on the state from a business level but also at the grass-roots level. There are a lot of great, young minor-league players now playing in California. That talent in California has been spurred by the great performance from all three California NHL teams.

The Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks have been so great this season that it's almost impossible to look at a major League statistic and not find a California-based player. At the Christmas break five of the top six players in plus/minus were Ducks: Hampus Lindholm, Francois Beauchemin, Dustin Penner, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The only non-Duck in that group is another California-based player: Anze Kopitar of the Kings, who is tied with the Ducks' Dustin Penner for third at plus-20. Just about any category you look at right now there is a California-based player at the top. Look at 34-year-old Jumbo Joe Thornton, who leads the League with 35 assists at Christmas.

It's great for the League. And it's not only flourishing on one level in California; it's flourishing on every level. We're starting to see NHL draft picks who are California-born players. That state has 30 million people; Canada has 35 million. It just shows how great this can be for the game as a whole.

Western Michigan University coach Andy Murray joined Bill Pidto and E.J. Hradek on NHL Live on Thursday evening to discuss the 49th annual Great Lakes Invitational, which gets underway at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday.

“We’re excited, obviously. It’s the first time Western Michigan’s ever played in an outdoor game,” Murray said, “and playing in Comerica Park here, about two hours from Kalamazoo, where Western Michigan is located. We’re playing three in-state rivals.”

NHL Live’s E.J. Hradek used the “Plus/Minus” segment Thursday night to look at a few aspects of the upcoming 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

He explained why he’s not optimistic about seeing Jimmy Howard in goal for the Red Wings. He also discussed which Toronto goalie he feels will get the start in the Jan. 1 game at Michigan Stadium.

Western Michigan University coach Andy Murray joined Bill Pidto and E.J. Hradek on NHL Live on Thursday evening to discuss the 49th annual Great Lakes Invitational, which gets underway at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday.

“We’re excited, obviously. It’s the first time Western Michigan’s ever played in an outdoor game,” Murray said, “and playing in Comerica Park here, about two hours from Kalamazoo, where Western Michigan is located. We’re playing three in-state rivals.”