The Bruins on Saturday announced that defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL. He's got an expected six to eight months of recovery time ahead of himself.

Seidenberg was injured Friday night when he was tangled up with Senators forward Cory Conacher. That all went down with less than five minutes remaining in the Bruins' 5-0 victory.

Seidenberg, 32, had one goal and nine assists this season. Most recently, he'd been paired with with rookie Torey Krug, and was second to only Zdeno Chara in minutes played, averaging 20:43 per game, including 2:43 on the penalty kill.

The bright side for Boston: Adam McQuaid recently returned to the lineup after missing most of December with a lower-body injury. Still, the Bruins only have six NHL-regular defensemen: Chara, Johnny Boychuk, Dougie Hamilton, Krug, McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski.

Boston recalled Zach Trotman from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis to replace Seidenberg. He'll be in the lineup Saturday, also against the Senators.

It's easy to see the Bruins making a move in the wake of Seidenberg's injury; they're already more than $3 million under the salary cap, and that number will rise by another $3.25 million once Seidenberg goes on long-term injured reserve. He signed a four-year extension earlier this year worth a total of $16 million.

Boston's not alone, though. On Friday, the Penguins announced that forward Pascal Dupuis was also likely finished for the season with a torn ACL. Dupuis, 35, is a key penalty killer and preferred linemate of Sidney Crosby.


BLUES MARCH ON WITHOUT STEEN


The Blues have been without leading goal scorer Alexander Steen for almost a week, and now it appears they will have to make do without one of their top forwards for a lot longer.

The team placed Steen on injured reserve Saturday and announced the winger will be out indefinitely. GM Doug Armstrong said the decision was reached after a series of hits capped by an illegal one delivered by Senators forward Zack Smith on Dec. 16. 

Steen has enjoyed a breakout campaign at age 29 that includes 24 goals (second in the NHL, behind only Alex Ovechkin). He was rewarded with a three-year $17.4 million contract extension on Dec. 18. 

With Steen out, the Blues will need others to step up on offense. The club looked capable of filling the void in its 6-5 shootout victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday. Five different players scored, including rookie Dmitrij Jaskin, who tallied his first career goal.

Steen's concussion also comes at a bad time for Team Sweden as the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, approach. Because there is no timetable for Steen's return, his availability for the Games is in doubt.


PARISE TO IR


The Wild placed left winger Zach Parise on injured reserve Saturday because of a bruised foot.

Minnesota recalled goalie Johan Gustafsson from Iowa of the AHL to take Parise's spot on the active roster, but Parise can be taken off injured reserve at any time.

Parise has 15 goals and 12 assists in 37 games. He was hurt Nov. 25 at St. Louis and held out of the next game before returning to the ice four days later. But the 29-year-old star has not been the same since. He has only four goals and one assist in 12 games since the injury.

Parise has missed the last two games. Matt Cooke has taken his spot on the first line.


SPOILER: PHANEUF GETS HIS DEAL


HBO's "24/7" series devoted to the Winter Classic has entered new territory: it's now breaking news.

The series' latest episode, which premiered Saturday, includes a scene in which Maple Leafs executive Claude Loiselle tells GM Dave Nonis that Loiselle and the agent for captain Dion Phnaeuf are closing in on a contract extension. TSN's Darren Dreger pegged the terms at seven years and $7 million per season.

Contributors: Sean Gentille, Peter Dawson, Tom Gatto, The Associated Press