FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots must get used to playing without Rob Gronkowski again. The star tight end who missed the first six games while recovering from surgeries is done for the season after being placed on injured reserve Monday with a damaged right knee. That experience could help the Patriots handle his absence. "Id like to think theres going to be some carry-over there, not only (from) the first six weeks of the season, but the entire training camp as well," coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "Thats the way we practiced and played most of the year." Gronkowski was hurt midway through the third quarter of the Patriots 27-26 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday when he was hit on the knee by safety T.J. Ward after a 21-yard reception. The Patriots were 5-1 while Gronkowski recovered from off-season operations on his left forearm and back. In the next six games, he led all NFL tight ends with 37 catches and 560 yards receiving and they were 4-2. But the offence was much more productive. Gronkowski caught touchdown passes in four consecutive games before making just two receptions for 32 yards against the Browns. He suffered a torn ACL and damaged MCL, a person familiar with the injury said Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not release those details. Cleveland coach Rob Chudzinski said Monday he didnt know whether Wards hit on Gronkowski resulted from a reluctance to hit a player high and possibly incur a fine for helmet-first contact. "From my vantage point, I think he was trying to get Gronkowski down on the ground," Chudzinski said. "A big guy coming at you that way is tough to get on the ground, so I dont know that it has to do with the rules other than trying to get the guy on the ground. Certainly, we feel terrible about that (injury). Hes a great player, and (we) hope that he has a speedy recovery." The Patriots visit Miami on Sunday. "The thing about New England is they have an excellent offensive staff, they utilize their personnel very, very well, and they adjust," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. "You have to have a big enough system offensively that you can incorporate different players throughout the course of the season." The injury is just the latest to a key Patriots player. Defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly, linebacker Jerod Mayo and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer are on season-ending injured reserve. Gronkowskis injury should make it tougher for the Patriots (10-3) to hold on to the No. 2 spot in the AFC and a first-round bye. Cincinnati (9-4) is third and has beaten New England this season. "We cant sit here and try to pretend like its something thats easy and that we just can roll through. Its tough," special teams captain Matthew Slater said. "When you lose guys, and guys of this calibre, it makes it hard on your football team." The Patriots signed tight end D.J. Williams to the 53-man roster. They had released him last Wednesday after signing him as a free agent on Nov. 27. Williams played sparingly in a 34-31 win over Houston. He and Matthew Mulligan are the Patriots only healthy tight ends. Michael Hoomanawanui missed the past three games with a knee injury. "As far as (getting) more reps here or there, you just dont know," Mulligan said. "Its all game plan and well see what happens." Mulligan has just 16 receptions in five seasons. Gronkowski set an NFL record for tight ends with 18 touchdowns in 2011. "Unfortunately, weve had to take the field without him in the past and weve had to figure out ways to still be productive," Slater said. "Were going to have to do that again." Ron Hextall Jersey . And while taking highly-touted Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goossen second overall on Tuesday night will definitely help in an area of need for the club, it was a swap of draft picks that may prove to be his most shrewd move. "When Jesse Briggs started to fall a little bit, you could just see Kyle perk up in his chair. Dave Schultz Jersey .I dont think it comes to mind in this business, in this game, the Philadelphia Flyers forward said. You dont try to lose games. http://www.cheapflyersjerseyschina.com/eric-lindros-jersey/. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. Mark Howe Jersey . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. Wholesale Flyers Jerseys . -- Craig Anderson has quite a record against his former team, the Florida Panthers.Gustav Nyquist hasnt scored a lot of goals on Jonas Gustavsson at Red Wings practice recently. "I think lately he saves them for the game," Gustavsson said. Nyquists scoring prowess has helped save Detroits NHL-best streak of 23 straight playoff appearances. Thanks in large part to Nyquists 14 goals and 10 assists in 22 games since the Olympic break, the Red Wings overcame a season rife with significant injuries to extend their playoff run. "With all the injuries weve had, its been pretty crazy," Nyquist said Tuesday in Buffalo. "But with all the injuries, I think all of us young guys have gotten more opportunity out there and (are) playing bigger minutes. ... As a young player I think that gives you confidence, knowing that you can make more plays with the puck when youre confident out there." The Red Wings injury list reads like almost like a full NHL roster. Pavel Datsyuk missed 37 games, captain Henrik Zetterberg 35 and counting, Darren Helm 40, Johan Franzen 27, Danny DeKeyser 16, Daniel Alfredsson 13 and Jimmy Howard 13. Whats even crazier is how the Red Wings seemingly havent missed a beat. And the craziest thing is that Nyquist, who spent the first 22 games of the season in the minors, still leads the team with 28 goals in just 55 games. And its not even close. "He made a splash right away: first game, two goals, when he came up, so I dont know if its a surprise," Alfredsson said. "Maybe a surprise hes been able to keep up that pace. We hadnt seen him in the NHL as much. Hes made a name for himself, a reputation for himself." Nyquist, soft-spoken and humble at 24 with 137 regular-season AHL games under his belt, wouldnt agree that he has been one of the best goal-scorers in the world lately. But with a stretch of 23 goals in 32 games, Nyquist helped the Red Wings go 17-10-5 to beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals for a playoff spot. "It feels like hes one step ahead sometimes, knowing where the pucks going to end up, and thats how he scores a lot of goals," Gustavsson said on a recent trip to Toronto. "Hes going to the right spots. Im not surprised that he has been scoring a lot for us. Maybe hes scored more than I thought right now." Certainly more than the Red Wings could have envisioned in September, when Nyquist was sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins instead of making the opening-night roster. That was more a consequence of the salary cap than an indictment of his play, as Nyquist was still exempt from going through waivers, but his three goals and three assists in 22 games last year didnt seem a preview of future NHL stardom.dddddddddddd Nyquist brings up "playing with great players" as one reason for his stellar scoring output. But after back problems put Zetteberg on the shelf, Nyquist kept scoring with Franzen, Riley Sheahan, David Legwand and Tomas Tatar rotating as his linemates. "Sometimes in the NHL if youre playing with great players, youre going to find a way to put that in, and hes done that," defenceman Brendan Smith said. "Its been huge for our club." But where did this all come from? "Gus would tell you that he was a pretty good player when he came out of college, I would assume, and that it took the coaches a long time to figure out he was good enough to play him enough to give him the confidence he needs to score enough," coach Mike Babcock said. "Thats probably his theory. My theory is you have to grow as a player and earn your way. I think hes a really intelligent player. Hes got hockey IQ off the chart. He makes good plays, he can shoot the puck, hes got a good release but he gets himself in good spots and weve needed him." Smiths time at the University of Wisconsin overlapped with Nyquists at the University of Maine. Smith can count the ways Nyquist can beat opponents. "Hes a hell of a skater, hes a great puck-mover, he makes great plays, hes got great skill, he can dangle you, hes hard to hit, hes wormy or snakey, whatever you want to call it," Smith said. "I knew he was this good, but I didnt see the scoring nature of it." It wouldve been hard for anyone to see this coming. In 40 career NHL games entering this season, Nyquist had a grand total of four goals. Maybe its just the growth and maturation of a young player, something the Red Wings organization has become very proud of over the years. Or perhaps practice makes perfect. "Hes one of those guys thats always staying till the end of the of practice putting the puck in the net," Gustavsson said. "He works hard and he deserves all the success that he has right now." Gustavsson said Nyquist is just entering his prime and