Winnipeg Jets forward Bryan Little needed 25-30 stitches after taking a teammate's slap shot to the ear area during Tuesday's contest against the New Jersey Devils, the team announced.

Little was taken to the hospital to have the laceration closed before being transferred to the neurological unit for further observation. He was alert at all times.

The Jets did not provide an update on his status moving forward.

Here's a look at the incident:

Little, 31, has a history of concussions, including one that caused him to miss the first nine games of the season.

The veteran center has proven to be an important player for Winnipeg. The Jets are 4-2-1 with him in the lineup this season and 4-5-0 without him. He's registered a pair of goals and three assists in seven games.

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Mike Babcock might not have been too impressed with his Toronto Maple Leafs after they squeezed out two points against the lowly Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, but he saw the game as a stepping stone.

"We need to go through that," the head coach said postgame, according to Yahoo Sports' Justin Cuthbert. "We need to figure out who we are, and the harder the game is for us the better it is.

"Would you like to win by a touchdown and everyone relaxes and all that? Yeah, but we're not getting anywhere like that. This is important to do."

The Leafs mustered just 23 shots on goal and were tied with the Kings late until Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored back-to-back markers midway through the third period to seal the victory.

"You give up one goal, you play well without the puck, goalie makes some saves, we didn't win it on special teams, we had to grind. It was good for us," Babcock added.

The Leafs will face a stiffer test at home on Thursday when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Despite the Calgary Flames' 4-3 overtime victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, head coach Bill Peters wasn't happy with his team's performance.

"We gotta start playing for each other and playing the right way," Peters said postgame. "I don't think we're doing that right now. I don't see that. If we are, I'm missing it a little bit."

Peters didn't shy away from calling out certain players, either.

"You've got guys skating in mud, and (Mark Giordano) is skating in mud, and (Elias Lindholm) is skating in mud, and you're relying on these guys to come back, too, and they're gassed.

"We need more out of some veteran guys."

The Flames gave up several high-quality scoring chances to the Coyotes and trailed by two with less than four minutes to play in regulation. They eventually evened the score before Matthew Tkachuk buried the overtime winner.

Calgary currently sits fifth in the competitive Pacific Division with a 9-7-2 record but is just two points behind the first-place Edmonton Oilers.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

This week, former NHL forward Nail Yakupov joins the show to discuss a wide range of topics including:

• Failing to meet lofty expectations as a first overall pick
• Why Ralph Krueger is such a good NHL coach
• Pavel Datsyuk's unrivaled competitiveness
• Evolution of the Kontinental Hockey League

...and more!

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Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg will miss at least two weeks after sustaining an injury in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche, head coach Jim Montgomery said postgame.

Klingberg left late in the second period and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest with what the Stars classified as a lower-body ailment.

The 27-year-old blue-liner was struck up high by a shot from Avalanche rearguard Nikita Zadorov shortly before exiting, and Montgomery confirmed Klingberg suffered the injury on that play.

Montgomery added the team will know more about the defenseman's status after he's evaluated Wednesday.

Klingberg has managed only four points in 17 games this season, but he entered Tuesday's contest ranking second among Stars players in average ice time.

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Patrick Marleau achieved a major milestone on Tuesday night.

The San Jose Sharks forward became only the sixth player in NHL history to suit up for 800 straight regular-season contests.

Marleau and Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle are the only active players to accomplish the feat, with Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel not far behind.

Marleau hasn't missed a regular-season game since 2008-09. The 40-year-old has now played 1,669 career contests, which ranks fifth in league history.

He signed with the Sharks on Oct. 9 after two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marleau spent his first 19 NHL campaigns with San Jose.

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