Michalek to return before Christmas?

Milan Michalek resumed skating on Tuesday morning, exactly one week after suffering a concussion that has kept him out of the Ottawa Senators lineup.

Michalek skated by himself before his teammates took to the ice at Scotiabank Place, a sign that his recovery is going as planned.

"It was a good day. He came in and he felt real good. He wanted to go for a skate and skated real good, so we'll take that as being really positive," said head coach Paul MacLean. "I haven't heard anything negative from the skate, other than it went good. We'll see how it goes, but I'll take it as very positive."

Michalek -- who is officially listed as day-to-day -- will miss his third straight game on Tuesday when the Senators host the Buffalo Sabres. He could be cleared for contact in practice this week, and MacLean did not rule out his return on Friday night in Carolina -- the Senators' last game before the Christmas break.

"It depends on when he's ready to get back. If it's tomorrow when he can practise and we play on Friday, and he says he can go, we'll probably let him play," added MacLean.

Michalek suffered the injury last Tuesday in Buffalo when he collided with teammate Erik Karlsson in the second period. Television replays showed his head slamming onto the ice after the collision with Karlsson. Earlier in that same game, Michalek scored his 19th goal of the season, which gave him the lead in the NHL in that category.