Top Finnish prospect Kasperi Kapanen, an "A"-rated international skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch for the 2014 NHL Draft, will be sidelined the duration of the 2013 Under-20 Four Nations Tournament in Russia this weekend due to an illness.

Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting, confirmed the news for NHL.com.

"My guess is he'll return to his club lineup at some point next week," Stubb told NHL.com.

The three-day tournament, scheduled to begin Friday, will take place in Novogorsk, Russia.

SAN JOSE -- It was midway through the second period of the San Jose Sharks' 5-4 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night when coach Todd McLellan began shuffling lines, looking for a spark.

Tommy Wingels jumped from the third line to the top line, trading places with Tyler Kennedy. Wingels joined center Joe Thornton and rookie forward Tomas Hertl. Wingels went on to score a third-period goal, as did Hertl and Kennedy.

Not surprisingly, McLellan will stick with the new-look lines that worked so well Tuesday when the Sharks play the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at SAP Center at San Jose.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Linden Vey's family lives too far for them to come to Los Angeles for an extended period of time. Vey is from Wakaw, Saskatchewan, with a population of about 1,000.

"Really small," Vey said. "Everybody knows everybody."

They will have to settle for seeing Vey on television for his NHL debut, as is expected when Vey and the Los Angeles Kings play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Vey took line rushes at center on the fourth line while Colin Fraser stayed out for extra skating.

"You just got to think of it as just another hockey game," Vey said. "Obviously it's a little more than that. I've been playing ever since I was 4 years old and I'm looking forward to this. I think there will be a little bit of nerves the first shift, but once I get into it I'll be fine."

Philadelphia Flyers forward Steve Downie skated Thursday as he continues his recovery from a concussion sustained during a game against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 1.

Downie spent Friday and Saturday in a hospital being evaluated. He was released Sunday.

"I wasn't too scared," he told reporters in Philadelphia. "It was precautionary reasons. They got a couple X-rays done. It's healing well. Should be back soon."

The injury occurred during a fight with Washington's Aaron Volpatti. It was Downie's first game back with the Flyers since being acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 31.

OTTAWA -- The Montreal Canadiens face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday in their first game against an Atlantic Division opponent since opening night.

Montreal has played 15 games, including a dozen against Western Conference teams, without playing a division game since Oct. 1, when they lost their home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the Toronto-Montreal rivalry is the oldest in NHL history, the Canadiens and Senators took their budding rivalry to a new level last spring when Ottawa won their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series in five games in the first modern postseason encounter between the teams.

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said he welcomes the enhanced rivalry against a team that is a two-hour drive from Montreal.

E.J. Hradek Game Picks Thursday November 7th:

Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins - Bruins

Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators -Canadiens

New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers

Minnesota Wild vs Washington Capitals - Capitals

New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes - Islanders

New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets - Blue Jackets

Dallas Stars vs Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings

Edmonton Oilers vs Tampa Bay Lightning - Lightning

Calgary Flames vs St. Louis Blues - Blues

Buffalo Sabres vs Los Angeles Kings - Kings

Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks - Sharks

E.J.'s Season Record: 86-49-13

ST. LOUIS -- The Calgary Flames' injury list continues to grow. Now it's Max Reinhart's turn to help fill the void.

Reinhart, recalled from the Abbotsford Heat of the American Hockey League on Wednesday, will be in the lineup Thursday when the Flames continue a four-game trip against the St. Louis Blues.

Reinhart was recalled as a result of an MCL sprain sustained by Curtis Glencross on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Glencross is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Reinhart, who has 11 games of NHL experience, will slot into the lineup ahead of Sven Baertschi, who will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game.

The Dallas Stars' game Thursday at the Detroit Red Wings is big for Stars general manager Jim Nill, who spent 19 years with the Red Wings' organization before leaving for Dallas during the summer. But the game is big for the Stars as a whole.

The Stars won the first two games of their three-game trip and a sweep would make the return flight to Texas that much more fun.

"We've got that opportunity [to sweep], but we know this is a tough building to play in," Stars coach Lindy Ruff told the Dallas Morning News. "We knew Boston was going to be a tough building too. They gave us a push in the first 10 minutes and our push back was even greater. It was good to see. You're going to face that challenge in some buildings and the home team is going to garner the edge, but you have to take it away from them."