NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur didn't seem all that concerned that the back soreness he's experiencing is anything serious and he's hoping that three days is enough time for him and the team's medical staff to figure out how to make it better.

Martin Brodeur

Goalie - NJD

RECORD: 8-2-3
GAA: 2.27 | SVP: 0.911

The Devils don't play again until Thursday at Winnipeg.

"Oh yeah, everything should be fine," Brodeur said Sunday after pulling himself from the starting lineup due to the soreness in his back. "I don't think it's a big deal. I don't think anybody around here is worried about it."

Brodeur participated in warmups Sunday, but left the ice early because he didn't feel 100 percent and was concerned about getting hit or having to stretch to make a save.

He expects to undergo further testing Monday.

ANAHEIM – Brian Burke was back in familiar surroundings Sunday and declared himself ready to resume his partnership with the Anaheim Ducks, however brief it might be.

"It's a familiar feeling to walk back in the building," Burke said. "I have a lot of respect for [Ducks general manager] Bob Murray. I think he's a real good hockey guy. We've worked together, worked in Vancouver, worked here. I think he's an excellent GM, and I hope my experience can help at some points, and it's nice to be back."

Burke was hired as a part-time professional scout this week for Anaheim, the team that he built into a rough-and-skilled Stanley Cup champion in 2007. Murray and the Ducks reached out to the Toronto Maple Leafs about employing Burke, who was fired Jan.9 as their GM.

Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty was not fined or suspended after a telephone hearing Sunday afternoon with the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety for an incident in a Saturday night game against the New York Rangers.

Pacioretty was assessed a minor for boarding Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh at the 7:20 mark of the second period of the game at the Bell Center. McDonagh left the game and did not return.

MONTREAL – The New York Rangers injury situation got worse Saturday night when defenseman Ryan McDonagh left their game against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a hit from Max Pacioretty at 7:20 of the second period.

Pacioretty was given a two-minute minor for boarding on the play that left McDonagh bloodied. McDonagh had previously hit Pacioretty hard into the boards near the Canadiens bench’ and the Montreal forward was slow to get up.

San Jose Sharks forward Ryan Clowe faces a supplementary discipline hearing Monday for an incident from a game Sunday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. He is suspended pending the outcome of the hearing.

He has been offered the opportunity for an in-person hearing in the League office, which means his suspension can exceed five games, per provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Clowe was assessed a minor for roughing and a game misconduct for leaving the players' bench to start an altercation (Rule 70.6).

Before being elected to Congress to represent Illinois' fifth district in 2009, Mike Quigley spent 20 years in public service in Chicago. But Quigley had another tool at his disposal when he came to Washington: He was a hockey player.

"Playing pond hockey [growing up], we made our own nets. My brother made one out of wood and chicken wire and nails," Quigley said. "I fell back onto it and cut the back of my scalp top to bottom. I finished the game. After that, how tough can politics be?"

In addition to his work in the U.S. House of Representatives, Quigley has served as chairman of the Congressional Hockey Caucus, worked with the USA Warriors hockey program, and been an advocate Hockey is For Everyone and Hockey on Your Block, a Chicago initiative aimed at giving disadvantaged youths a chance to discover the game.

Evgeni Malkin will not play Sunday for the Pittsburgh Penguins and will continue to undergo further evaluation, coach Dan Bylsma announced after practice Saturday.

Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Saturday that Malkin is experiencing symptoms consistent with someone who has a concussion.

"He's still being evaluated as to the extent of the hit and going into the boards hard," Bylsma told reporters after practice. "That's an ongoing process at this point in time."

CHICAGO – The day before scoring the game-winning goal of Friday night's NHL historic performance for the Chicago Blackhawks, rookie Brandon Saad was the "Saad man out."

Brandon Saad

Left Wing - CHI

GOALS: 3 | ASST: 0 | PTS: 3
SOG: 33 | +/-: 2

As teammates changed in front of their lockers at the Blackhawks' practice facility, Saad sat in the middle of the small room on a black folding chair. His "locker stall" was a hockey bag -- and he couldn't have cared less.

A day later, Saad rushed down the ice at United Center at the tail end of a big penalty kill early in the third period and fired a shot from the left circle that not only beat former Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi, but eventually decided Chicago's 2-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks.

"It's a huge win to be a part of," the 20-year old Saad said after being named the game's first star and scoring Chicago's first shorthanded goal of the season. "To end up getting the winning goal … it's a special time."

Mike Murphy, the National Hockey League's senior vice president of Hockey Operations, isn't ruling out the possibility that one day -- possibly soon -- the concept of a coach's challenge could exist in the NHL.

However, Murphy also warns that the concept is not one that can be adopted without clearly defined criteria for what a coach would be allowed to challenge and what elements of the challenged play would be admissible in the review process.

"Sure, I think that there is a real possibility it could happen, but you'd have to sit down with a group of smart people and you'd have to go through just about every type of play you'd want to allow a challenge for," Murphy told NHL.com. "It can't be used as a tactic. That's a concern. It has to be a legitimate play that has been defined into the coach's challenge rule. Mainly, it's goals."

The concept of a coach's challenge was first brought up by Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon at the November 2010 general managers meeting in Toronto. Tallon proposed allowing coaches one challenge per game in order to contest a disputed goal.

Hockey fans looking to get their fill of game action over the next few days should watch NHL Network-US.

The National Hockey League's one-stop shop for the latest news and highlights will provide four live games over the next two days, including a Saturday tripleheader.

The non-stop action hits full stride Saturday with a tripleheader starting at noon, when the New Jersey Devils take on the Washington Capitals.