Hatcher Out at Least 4 Months

Defenseman Derian Hatcher of the Detroit Red Wings will be sidelined four to six months after tearing a ligament in his right knee during Thursday night’s game against Vancouver.

He was hurt when he got tangled up with the Canucks’ Markus Naslund and Bryan Allen early in the Red Wings’ 3-2 victory at Detroit.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Hatcher is expected to undergo surgery in a couple of weeks, once the swelling goes down.

The Red Wings hope he will be able to return in time for the playoffs, which begin in April.

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Captain Al MacInnis of the St. Louis Blues had eye surgery and will sit out at least tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals.

General Manager Larry Pleau said he had not yet talked to the doctors and had no idea how long MacInnis might be out.

The 40-year-old defenseman previously injured his left eye on Jan. 27, 2001. He sat out more than 20 games after he was hit on the eye with a high stick by San Jose’s Scott Hannan.

It was not clear when MacInnis’ latest eye problem began. He played in the Blues’ game Thursday night at Nashville.

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It’s rare for one NHL game to end in a scoreless tie, but it’s very unusual to have two 0-0 games on the same night.

Two games ended without a goal scored Thursday night -- Atlanta at the New York Rangers and Philadelphia at San Jose.

The last time that happened was Dec. 30, 1934, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The games were Boston at the New York Rangers and the New York Americans at Detroit.