NHL injured list (with statistics)

The Detroit Red Wings announced Friday that goaltender Jimmy Howard will miss at least the next two games because of a broken finger. Howard, who leads the NHL with 32 wins, broke the index finger on his right hand during Thursday's victory at Vancouver. Howard has a 2.03 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and five shutouts this season. The Red Wings have recalled goaltender Joey MacDonald from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League to back up Ty Conklin.

Sidney Crosby's concussion-like symptoms may not be due to a concussion after all. The Pittsburgh Penguins star said he's been diagnosed with a soft-tissue injury in his neck that mimics the symptoms of a concussion but is significantly more treatable. The news came as a bit of relief to Crosby, who hasn't played since symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on December 5.

Jonathan Toews has been placed on injured reserve because of a left wrist injury. The Chicago Blackhawks captain missed his first game of the season Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. As expected, he was replaced on the All-Star team as Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell took his spot. Toews has 27 goals and 23 assists in 49 games.

Alex Ovechkin is skipping the NHL All-Star game, a decision he announced a day after getting a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent. The Washington Capitals captain and a two-time league MVP said: "I feel I'm not deserving to be there right now. If I'm suspended, I have to be suspended." Capitals general manager George McPhee said he supported Ovechkin's decision to back out of the All-Star game.

Radek Martinek will miss the rest of the season because of post-concussion symptoms. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman scored one goal in seven games with Columbus this season before suffering a concussion in a game in October. To fill his spot on the roster, the club has signed Brett Lebda, a veteran defenseman, to a one-year contract. Lebda, 30, played for Columbus' American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, this season.

Left wing Taylor Hall sat out Tuesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after cutting his head when he accidentally made contact with a teammate during pregame warmups. The 20-year-old, who was not wearing a helmet, had blood running down the side of his head while a trainer tried to staunch the flow. Hall has 15 goals and 16 assists in 36 games.

The Minnesota Wild will likely be without leading scorer and All-Star representative Mikko Koivu for at least two weeks. Coach Mike Yeo said the captain is week-to-week with an upper body injury, and media reports indicates Koivu has a shoulder injury. Koivu likely will not be back before the NHL All-Star Game on January 29, according to Yeo. The Minnesota Wild also are missing Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard with concussions.

Defenseman Mike Green will have abdominal surgery and is expected to be sidelined another 4-6 weeks. Green was sidelined early in the season with a sprained right ankle, then injured his groin in early November and has played in only 10 games this campaign. Green emerged as one of the top defensemen in the NHL from 2007-10, but he has been hampered by injuries the last two seasons.

The Dallas Stars have placed center Mike Ribeiro on injured reserve with a lower body injury. Ribeiro was hurt in a 4-1 win against Edmonton earlier this month and missed the last three games. He had 7 goals and 5 assists in 11 games before getting injured. As the move is retroactive to January 7, Ribeiro will be eligible to return as soon as he is healthy, possibly February 1 against Anaheim.

Blue Jackets forward Dane Byers has been suspended for three games without pay for delivering an illegal check to the head of San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins during Saturday's game in Columbus. Desjardins was helped off the ice and did not return. He also did not play in the Sharks' game on Sunday against Chicago. Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets have placed left wing R.J. Umberger, suffering from concussion symptoms, on injured reserve. Umberger took a hit to the head from Anaheim's Jean-Francois-Jacques on Sunday and is listed as week-to-week.

New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro will have surgery to repair a sports hernia, likely sidelining the oft-injured player for most of the rest of the season. The Islanders confirmed Friday night that DiPietro is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday. The 30-year-old goalie has played eight games this season, going 3-2-3 with a 3.73 goal-against average. He hasn't played since sustaining a groin injury Dec. 3 in Dallas.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo will undergo reconstructive left knee surgery Tuesday, sidelining him for the rest of the year. Carcillo was helped off the ice after he launched Edmonton's Tom Gilbert into the boards during the second period of the Oilers' 4-3 victory Jan. 2. The 26-year-old Carcillo received a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct for the hit, and was later suspended for seven games. Team physician Dr. Michael Terry anticipates a full return for Carcillo in six months. Carcillo had two goals, nine assists and 82 penalty minutes in 28 games in his first season with Chicago.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been diagnosed with another concussion. The Minnesota Wild forward was scratched from Tuesday's game against San Jose and will be out indefinitely. He missed all but one game of the 2009-10 season because of a head injury and didn't return until 24 games into last season. Bouchard was hurt two games ago, last Wednesday at Vancouver. The Wild are without forwards Guillaume Latendresse and Jarod Palmer due to concussions as well.

Pavel Datsyuk is sitting out against the New York Islanders because of an undisclosed lower body injury that doesn't appear to be serious. The Red Wings leading scorer was injured Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks and missed Tuesday's game as a precautionary measure. Datsyuk, who played in the Red Wings' first 41 games, has 13 goals and a team-high 43 points. He said he hopes to play Thursday at home against Phoenix.

Forward Rene Bourque has been suspended five games by the NHL for elbowing Washington's Nicklas Backstrom in the head. Bourque was given a minor penalty for elbowing Tuesday for his hit on Backstrom in Calgary's 3-1 loss at Washington. Bourque will be eligible to return on January 17 at San Jose.