Montreal's Koivu Out Two Weeks

The injury bug continues to follow Montreal Canadiens center Saku Koivu, who will miss the next two weeks with a strained abdominal muscle.

A spokeswoman for the Canadiens said the center will be off skates "for one week and then re-evaluated the following week." The 23-year-old center had two goals and three assists in Montreal's first seven games.

Koivu was a restricted free agent in the off-season, but signed a two-year deal with an option reportedly worth between $8 and $9 million. He had 14 goals and 43 assists with the Canadiens last season for a career-high 57 points, despite missing 13 games with a broken bone in his left hand and a pulled rib cage muscle. Koivu also helped his native Finland to a bronze medal in the Nagano Olympics.

Teammate Scott Thornton also is sidelined with a strained abdominal muscle.

Montreal is 1-3-1 in its last five games after a 2-0 start in which it scored eight goals. The Habs have totaled nine goals in their last five contests and host Boston Wednesday night.

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