Injured Forsberg Out for 4 Months

Peter Forsberg had surgery on his left foot Thursday and will miss the Olympics and the rest of the NHL regular season, shocking Colorado Avalanche teammates and coaches who expected him to rejoin the team within days.

Forsberg will be out for at least four months after the operation to stabilize tendons on the outside of his left ankle. Team doctors said the sheath around the tendons ruptured.

“I was stunned,” Avalanche General Manager Pierre Lacroix said. “It was a real shocker for everyone involved in the discussions this morning. Peter’s conditioning was good. He was really fired up and really excited about coming back.”

Lacroix said he had expected Forsberg to be back in the lineup within 10 to 15 days.

Forsberg, who took an unexpected leave of absence from the team on Sept. 15 because of mounting injuries, arrived in Denver this week from his home in Sweden.

Pittsburgh 2, Buffalo 0--Johan Hedberg stopped 36 shots as the Penguins won at Buffalo.

Mario Lemieux, the Penguin captain and owner, has missed 24 games since undergoing hip surgery. He is expected to return Saturday.

Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 2--Jiri Dopita and Keith Primeau scored within a 40-second span of the second period as the Flyers won their fifth straight at home.

Montreal 4, New York Islanders 0--Oleg Petrov and Mike Ribeiro scored first period power-play goals and Jose Theodore stopped 26 shots at Montreal.

Carolina 4, Edmonton 1--Bates Battaglia scored two goals as the Hurricanes ended a three-game losing streak with a victory at Edmonton, Canada.

Minnesota 2, Nashville 2--Sergei Zholtok scored twice in the second period as the Wild skated to a tie against the Predators at Nashville.

Chicago 2, Columbus 1--Eric Daze and Steve Dubinsky scored and Steve Passmore stopped 20 shots for the Blackhawks at Chicago.

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St. Louis Blues forward Scott Young had laser surgery Thursday to repair a retinal tear in his left eye. The Blues also said that defenseman Al MacInnis, who has missed the past three games while recovering from back spasms, will rejoin the team Saturday for St. Louis’ game at Pittsburgh.