Nashville’s Rinne has hip surgery

Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne will miss at least four weeks after he has another procedure on his surgically repaired hip to clear up an infection.

The Predators announced Thursday that Rinne was set for arthroscopic surgery later in the day. Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season.

General manager David Poile said Rinne felt something was wrong Tuesday night after the Predators returned from Minnesota. Carter Hutton, with two NHL starts and one win, will fill in for Rinne.

Hurricanes

Carolina goalie Cam Ward will miss 3-4 weeks because of a lower-body injury that forced him out of the game at Minnesota shortly after the opening faceoff Thursday night.

Sabres

Buffalo enforcer John Scott was suspended indefinitely by the NHL, pending a disciplinary hearing for a blind-side hit to the head Wednesday that leveled Boston forward Loui Eriksson and caused a concussion. Meanwhile, the Sabres Patrick Kaleta had his appeal to reduce a 10-game suspension was denied by commissioner Gary Bettman. This further compounds a 1-9-1 start that is the worst in franchise history, and team president Ted Black warned fans that things might get worse. “When we’re in a transition year like this, it is going to be difficult. It’s going to be difficult to stomach the short run. The fans that follow this team, they signed up for this team, they signed up for a rough road.”

Maple Leafs

Morgan Rielly, a 19-yearold rookie defenseman, will remain with Toronto rather than be sent back to his junior team, the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League.