NHL: Manny Malhotra of Vancouver Canucks to undergo eye surgery in New York

Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, who suffered a serious left eye injury when he was struck by an errant puck earlier this month, is set to undergo surgery aimed at saving the eye and his vision Tuesday.

Malhotra

Agent Paul Krepelka of the Orr Hockey Group confirmed the surgery would happen in New York on Tuesday but offered no further details, according to The Canadian Press.

The Canucks did not offer further details on Malhotra's condition, according to the report.

"I need my brother in law, Manny Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, to have a successful eye surgery tomorrow saving his eye and vision," Steve Nash of the NBA'sPhoenix Suns said of the procedure on Monday on his Twitter account.

Nash's sister is married to Malhotra, who was hit in the eye in a game against Colorado on March 16 when a pass deflected off Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's stick and into his left eye. Malhotra, whose helmet was not equipped with a visor, underwent surgery later that night.

Nash has previously talked about the injury.

"That's scary," Nash said on March 21 at halftime of the Major League Soccer debut of the Vancouver Whitecaps, a team he partially owns. "I know he's a very tough guy and a great person but we're all just thinking about him and really worried and hoping he can come back, not only to play hockey but just get his vision back and be comfortable and live the life he deserves to live."

The Canucks announced on March 21 that Malhotra was out for the season. The loss comes as the Canucks, who have the best record in the NHL, gear up for a run at the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship.

Malhotra was signed to a three-year, $7.5 million free agent contract last summer to anchor the Canucks' third line. He was second in the NHL with a 61.7 winning percentage on faceoffs and a key to Vancouver's penalty killing improving from 18th in the league to second when he was hurt.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

No surprise HERE!!! Matt Cooke get suspended..... again! --NHL

DETROIT -- Matt Cooke got exactly the kind of harsh punishment Mario Lemieux challenged the NHL to hand out.

Cooke Suspension History

Matt Cooke was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs for his elbow to the jaw of the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh, but this wasn't his first time facing the league.

Date	Reason	Games
3/21/11	Elbow to jaw of Rangers' Ryan McDonagh	10, plus first round of playoffs
2/9/11	Hit from behind on Blue Jackets' Fedor Tyutin	4
11/29/09	Check to head of Rangers' Artem Anisimov	2
1/27/09	Hit to head of Hurricanes' Scott Walker	2
2/21/04	Spearing Wild's Matt Johnson	2

The only problem is Cooke plays for thePittsburgh Penguins, the team owned by the Hockey Hall of Famer.

The oft-penalized Cooke received the stiffest sentence yet in his 12-season NHL career when he was suspended Monday by the league for the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs for elbowing defensemanRyan McDonagh of the New York Rangers in the head one day earlier.

Pittsburgh has 10 games to play, including Monday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Adding in at least four postseason games, the left wing will be forced to sit out a minimum of 14 games. He will also lose $219,512.20 in salary.

Last month, Lemieux lashed out at the NHL for what he perceived to be insufficient discipline following a brawl-filled game between the Islanders and his Penguins.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero supported the penalty the NHL gave Cooke, saying in a statement that the suspension was "warranted because that's exactly the kind of hit we're trying to get out of the game.

"Head shots have no place in hockey. We've told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message."

The ruling followed a meeting between Cooke and NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell at the league office in Toronto on Monday.

"Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position," Campbell said in a statement. "This isn't the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response."

It is Cooke's fifth suspension and the fourth since he signed with the Penguins in 2008. He was banned four games last month for hitting Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin from behind.

Cooke's unpenalized hit last season on Boston's Marc Savard started an uproar that led to the creation of a rule that bans blindside hits to the head. The rising rate of concussions in the NHL has the league on high alert and was the biggest topic of conversation at last week's general managers meetings.

“

This isn't the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response.

”-- NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell

Savard missed two months with a severe concussion and suffered post-concussion syndrome last summer.

"I think it's about time he gets [suspended]," Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. "He needs to be taught a lesson. He's doing that stuff left, right and center. I expect he'll get a bunch of games. He's got to be taught a lesson. He can't be running around doing that stuff all the time. He's going to seriously hurt someone again -- look at Savvy. He could have easily hurt McDonagh."

Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby hasn't played since Jan. 5 because of a lingering concussion caused by hits to the head in successive games from Washington's David Steckel on Jan. 1 in the Winter Classic and Tampa Bay'sVictor Hedman four days later.

Lemieux's complaints came after the Penguins and Islanders combined for 346 penalty minutes, 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts on Feb. 11.

The Islanders had two players suspended for their actions, and the team was fined $100,000 for failing to maintain control. Pittsburgh avoided a fine by the NHL, and only Eric Godard on the Penguins' side was suspended -- receiving an automatic 10-game ban for leaving the bench to join a fight.

"The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed," Lemieux said then. "We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and the safety of our players. We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action."

Cooke didn't play in that game against the Islanders because he was serving his other suspension, and he won't be on the ice for the anticipated rematch with New York on April 8.

In 67 games this season, Cooke has 30 points (12-18) and 129 penalty minutes. He ranked seventh on the team in points entering Monday night's game.

The suspension is another setback for a team that has been without Crosby for two months and has lost Evgeni Malkin (knee) for the rest of the season. Crosby is skating, but there isn't a timetable for his return to the lineup.

Information from ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

NHL Recap: Washington Captials vs Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH -- Alex Ovechkin blasted such a hard shot into the top corner of the net that Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau couldn't see the puck go in even after watching the replay.

What chance, Boudreau wondered, did Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleuryhave?

Fast Facts

• Michal Neuvirth stopped 39 shots for his third career shutout, all coming this season.

• The Capitals have won seven straight on the road against the Penguins.

• The Capitals won a game 1-0 for the first time this season.

• Alex Ovechkin scored the only goal of the game, his first point against the Penguins this season.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

"That's what he does," Boudreau said in amazement after Ovechkin's goal, combined withMichal Neuvirth's 39 saves, were the difference in Washington's 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguinson Monday night.

It was nothing, said Ovechkin, referring to his goal which came on the power-play with 3:22 left in the second period.

"I had lots of time to see what's going on, and I just fired it," Ovechkin said. "We beat a good team in a hard building to play. We got these points, just enjoy our day off."

That day off, following a five-game road trip in which the Capitals went 3-2, wound up getting delayed. A snow storm that struck Pittsburgh hours before the game began forced the Capitals to spend the night.

They'll return home Tuesday, knowing they continued their domination of the Penguins, completing their season series with a 3-0-1 edge, and improving to 10-0-2 against Pittsburgh since March 2008. More important, the win allowed the Capitals to inch to within a point of Southeast Division-leading Tampa Bay and three points of the fourth-place Penguins in the Eastern Conference standings.

Pittsburgh came up empty despite outshooting the Capitals 39-24, showing plenty of jump but no finish for a team that's down 10 regulars, includingSidney Crosby. Pittsburgh hasn't scored against Washington in 157:47 sinceEvgeni Malkin's second-period goal in a 3-1 loss during the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.

"I thought we created a lot of chances, a lot of opportunities," said Jordan Staal, who had a short-handed breakaway chance stopped by Neuvirth 50 seconds before Ovechkin's goal. "Obviously, their goalie did a pretty good job of keeping us from the second rebounds. But I think we did a lot of good things."

The Pens dropped to 2-5-1 in their past eight, though help is on the way. Hours prior to the game, Pittsburgh traded defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas in exchange for forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen.

"It's a sign of confidence for us," Maxime Talbot said. "Neal has been a force in this league, and we're real excited to get him on the team."

Though offensively challenged, the Penguins got a solid outing from Fleury. He stopped 23 shots, including foiling Ovechkin on a breakaway 9 minutes into an entertaining, back-and-forth game.

Neuvirth proved better. He stopped 18 shots in the first period alone. He also got a little help from his goal posts, as Brett Sterling hit the right post early in the third period, while Deryk Engelland also clanged one off the post with 6:55 left in the second.

As for saves, Neuvirth kicked out his right pad to block Pascal Dupuis' backhander from the left circle with 6:12 left in the first period. Less than 3 minutes later, he punched out his blocker to turn away Ryan Craig's shot from the left circle, set up following a turnover by the Capitals in their own zone.

"I made a few saves early in the game and I was feeling pretty good," Neuvirth said. "I was confident the whole game."

Ovechkin's goal was his first in four games against the Penguins.

Mike Knuble had a hand in setting it up by gaining the Penguins zone and getting a shot off that Fleury stopped. The rebound popped into the air and to Marcus Johansson, who gloved the puck down and fed a pass to Ovechkin, who wound up and blasted a shot beating Fleury over the right shoulder.

"When you see him stepping into it like that, you just want to get out of the way," Knuble said. "You don't know where that thing's going, really. It was a great shot."

The Pens-Caps rivalry has escalated this season, particularly after the Capitals' 3-1 win in the Winter Classic at Pittsburgh on Jan. 1, a game in which Washington's David Steckel collided with Crosby. It was the first of two hits to the head Crosby sustained in consecutive games, which has led to the Penguins' captain missing the past 20 games with a concussion.

Penguins agitator Matt Cooke then targeted Ovechkin, tripping him with a knee-to-knee hit in the rematch on Feb. 6, which Washington won 3-0.

On Monday, Penguins fans did let up a cheer in the first period Pittsburgh defenseman Ben Lovejoy shoved Ovechkin, causing the Capitals captain to fall backward, after the whistle during a scrum in front of the Penguins' net.

Cooke was targeted, as Washington's Matt Bradley was penalized for charging for a heavy hit on the Penguins player in the Capitals zone midway through the second period.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press