Ducks' Beauchemin has ligament surgery

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin underwent surgery Thursday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

He is expected to be sidelined about six months. Beauchemin was injured during a 4-3 overtime loss to Nashville on Nov. 14. He will be placed on long-term injured reserve.

BLUES' JOHNSON ON MEND: St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, out for the season after injuring his knee during a preseason team golf outing in September, had surgery to repair a damaged ligament.

Johnson, the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, is expected to be ready for training camp next season. He tore two ligaments when his foot got stuck in a golf cart.

BLUE JACKETS BRING BACK DORSETT: The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled right wing Derek Dorsett from the club's AHL affiliate in Syracuse.

The 21-year-old Dorsett has one goal, one assist and 56 penalty minutes in 10 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He ranked among the NHL leaders in penalty minutes before he was sent down two weeks ago.

LIGHTNING INVESTIGATING GROIN INJURIES: Tampa Bay right wing Evgeny Artyukhin said, this is all you need to know about groin injuries: "The pain can be powerful."

Pain from a strain sidelined Artyukhin two games this month. He was the fourth Tampa Bay player to miss time because of such an injury - forwards Jason Ward, Radim Vrbata and Ryan Craig were the others - good for the league lead.

Because teams are not required to disclose injuries, the title is not official. But of 17 teams that do, Tampa Bay has the most.

"We have seen more than we're accustomed to," trainer Tommy Mulligan said. "We don't have the answer for it. We're trying to find it and see what we can do to make sure it doesn't continue."

Meanwhile, Mulligan, massage therapist Mike Griebel and strength coach Kevin Ziegler form Tampa Bay's three-pronged approach to rehabilitation.

"The first thing you have to do is find out what caused it," Mulligan said. "Is it a fatigue issue? Is it a weakness issue?"

Either way, Mulligan said the groin needs several days to "calm down" before rehab begins.