Expansion Plans on Back Burner

The NHL is slowing down its expansion agenda, saying that the number of groups seeking franchises is more than it expected.

The Board of Governors will not entertain presentations from franchise hopefuls at a meeting Thursday as planned, because too many groups applied to be there, according to NHL spokesman Arthur Pincus.

*

Buffalo Sabre center Pat LaFontaine will sit out today’s game at Hartford because of a concussion he suffered last month. . . . Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Daren Puppa will undergo surgery Monday in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disk.