Briefs 4-Real Madrid's Van Nistelrooy to have surgery on knee

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Sports news in brief from around the world:

Soccer - Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is to have arthroscopic surgery to help resolve a problem with his right knee, the Primera Liga club said on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Dutchman flew to the United States this week to consult the surgeon who operated on his knee in 2000, after picking up an knock in the 2-1 Champions League defeat at Juventus four weeks ago.

The Spanish champions said on their website (www.realmadrid.com) that they would not know until after the operation how long Van Nistelrooy would be sidelined.

NHL - Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu was suspended for two games on Wednesday for elbowing Montreal Canadiens' Maxim Lapierre in the head.

The incident occurred during the third period of the Canadiens' 4-0 win over the Senators on Tuesday when Ruutu slammed into Lapierre and incurred a two-minute minor penalty for charging.

The Finn will miss a home-and-home series against the New York Islanders on Nov. 13 and 15 and will be eligible to return on Nov. 17 at the New York Rangers.