Buffalo at New Jersey (no line)
Injuries have plagued the New Jersey Devils all season. The latest player to be sidelined may be their most irreplaceable.
The Devils will be without goaltender Martin Brodeur on Monday when they host the Buffalo Sabres.
One month into the season, New Jersey (6-2-2) has already dealt with a variety of injuries. Forwards Brian Rolston (ankle), Bobby Holik (pinkie) and Barry Tallackson (irregular heartbeat) are on injured reserve, while defenseman Andy Greene is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on Friday for a broken hand.
Brodeur became the latest addition to that list after bruising his left elbow during the second period of Saturday's 6-1 rout of Atlanta. The Devils' official Web site reported Brodeur will undergo an X-ray and an MRI exam. Regardless of the results of those tests, his career-high streak of 51 consecutive regular-season starts will come to an end.
The four-time Vezina Trophy winner hasn't been forced out of action since 2005-06, when he missed six games due to a sprained knee.
Columbus at NY Islanders (109, 5.5)
Already mired in a miserable six-game losing streak, the New York Islanders must now deal with the extended absence of their top goaltender.
Rick DiPietro is expected to miss at least six weeks for the Islanders, who will try to end their slide with a matchup against the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday at Nassau Coliseum.
After alternating wins with losses through the first four games of the season, New York (2-7-1) has gone 0-5-1 - its longest slide since losing seven in a row (0-6-1) from Jan. 24-Feb. 9.
Prior to Saturday's 5-4 defeat to Montreal, the Islanders announced that DiPietro would be sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Friday to repair a torn meniscus in one of his knees.
The franchise goaltender - in the third season of a landmark 15-year deal - had been limited to three appearances in 2008-09 as he continued to recover from offseason operations on both his hip and knee. He suffered the additional injury during the first period of a 4-3 loss to Carolina on Oct. 25.
Joey MacDonald had been receiving most of the playing time in DiPietro's absence, with unimpressive results. McDonald is 2-4-1 with a 3.42 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.
Colorado at Chicago (-149, 5.5)
Joel Quenneville guided Colorado to the playoffs in two of the three seasons he coached the Avalanche. That wasn't enough for him to keep his job after last season.
Now, with his new club, Quenneville's Chicago Blackhawks look for a third straight victory overall when they face his former team for the first time Monday night to open a five-game homestand.
From 2005-2008, Quenneville was 131-92-23 with Colorado, but just 2-2 in playoff series. The two sides decided to end their relationship in May.
"I was fortunate to be around very competitive teams (in Colorado),'' Quenneville said last spring. "At the end of the day, it was a good three years."
Quenneville didn't go long without a coaching job when he was hired to replace the fired Denis Savard on Oct. 16. The Blackhawks (5-3-3) beat Columbus 4-3 in a shootout Saturday night for its first road win while improving to 4-1-2 under Quenneville.
The Blackhawks return home where they are 4-0-2 and have outscored their opponents 23-12. After the upcoming home stretch, Chicago closes November with a six-game road trip.