OPINION

By Craig Custance

updated 1:51 p.m. ET Nov. 5, 2009

You know things are bad when Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal is not playing. The NHL's iron man sat out Wednesday's game against the Florida Panthers with an upper body injury, snapping a streak of 349 games played.

In today's faster NHL, staying healthy is harder than ever.

"The game is getting bigger, stronger, faster and all these games in October and November are being put together because of the Olympic year," Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "The body takes its wear and tear.

Breaking down 10 of the biggest injuries:

Alex Ovechkin, F, Capitals
Ovechkin has been vague about his upper-body injury, along with the recovery time. "We'll see. I don't know. Day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month," Ovechkin said. Thankfully, he ruled out year-to-year. He missed Wednesday's game, but Boudreau said Ovechkin was feeling better and it's possible he plays this weekend.

It's an opportunity for: Alexander Semin. He's not the superstar but he has the offensive arsenal to carry the Capitals in Ovechkin's absence. "Ovechkin does his part there, but there's a lot of good players who are effective offensively," New Jersey Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said.

Johan Franzen, F, Detroit Red Wings
The Wings are playing through two long-term injuries with Franzen out until February with a knee injury and talented center Valtteri Filppula out with a broken wrist. They combined for 46 goals last season.

It's an opportunity for: Patrick Eaves. Eaves' ice time has climbed from 7:30 on Oct. 15 to a season-high 15:03 on Oct. 31. "You look for guys to step up and fill in but you hate to see your friends get hurt," Eaves said.

Andrei Markov, D, Montreal Canadiens
Markov tore a tendon in his foot during the season opener, and there's probably not a player the Canadiens could afford to lose less. He's hoping for a return in time to play for the Russians during the Winter Olympics.

It's an opportunity for: Marc-Andre Bergeron. Bergeron has two power-play goals since being added to the roster to help replace Markov but isn't nearly as good at even strength.

Evgeni Malkin, F, Pittsburgh Penguins
Instead of playing through a shoulder injury, the Penguins decided to give Malkin a few weeks off. The decision snapped a 254-game streak for him but the team made the right move in shutting him down.

It's an opportunity for: Jordan Staal. He's seeing more than 20 minutes of ice time per game but has yet to capitalize. Staal hasn't scored a goal since Oct. 12.

Sergei Gonchar, D, Penguins
A wrist injury is expected to sideline Gonchar until at least early December. The Penguins have handled his injury much better than they did last season. "We're in a fortunate situation in that [Kris] Letang and [Alex] Goligoski are two guys offensively who are steeping into their own in the league," assistant coach Tony Granato said.

It's an opportunity for: Goligoski. The 24-year-old defenseman entered Wednesday's games with six goals, which leads all NHL defenseman.

Ilya Kovalchuk, F, Atlanta Thrashers
A broken foot came at a bad time for Kovalchuk, who was off to a fantastic start while negotiating a long-term contract extension. His nine goals are still among the league leaders, despite playing eight games. He could return later this month.

It's an opportunity for: Rich Peverley. He might be hockey's most unheralded point-per-game producer and he's picked up the pace without Kovalchuk. In three games without Kovalchuk, Peverley has six points.

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