Coyotes' Shane Doan out indefinitely

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Shane Doan's nightmarish start to the season continues.

Minutes after scoring his first goal of the season Friday night -- in his ninth game -- the Phoenix Coyotes' captain suffered a lower-body injury in a collision with Dallas defenseman Nicklas Grossman in the final minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Stars and will be out for an extended period.

Coyotes officials say Doan's status will be evaluated week-to-week – the latest blow to a team off to a 4-5-3 start a year after posting a franchise record 50-win, 107-point season.

Ed Jovanovski, who recorded the first hat trick by a defenseman in franchise history against Nashville on Wednesday, will also miss Saturday's game with the Penguins after coming to the arena ill on Saturday morning.

Doan sat out three games earlier this season while serving a suspension for a hit on Anaheim's Dan Sexton on Oct. 17. He had only 2 assists this season before deflecting home a Keith Yandle blast on the power play against the Stars. But after his innocent-looking collision with Grossman a few minutes later, Doan skated off slowly and did not return.

The Coyotes will now look to forward Radim Vrbata, Ray Whitney and Wojtek Wolski to break out of their scoring slumps and make up for the loss of Doan. Whitney and Wolski have no goals in 20 combined games this season, while Vrbata has one in his last 11 games.

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