Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Niedermayer to return to Garden State for first time since bolting to Ducks; Jackets ink Chimera to four-year deal; McCabe rejoins Leafs for win over Habs; Jagr can't buy a goal of late; Heatley doesn't miss a beat in return to Senators; and more...

HOMECOMING 
Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer will play in New Jersey on Friday for the first time since leaving the Devils to sign as a free agent with the Ducks prior to the 2005-06 season. Adding in the lockout year, it has been almost four years since Niedermayer skated in the Garden State.

The 34-year-old may be returning to face the team with which he won three Stanley Cups, but his surroundings will be very different. The Devils now play in the Prudential Center--a brand new building located in downtown Newark.

However, when the 2004 Norris Trophy winner looks at the opposing team, he should see plenty of familiar faces with players like Martin Brodeur, John Madden and Jamie Langenbrunner still a big part of the Devils. Still, the million dollar question everyone is asking is how will the fans react to Niedermayer's return? It's safe to say that both cheers and jeers are likely on the menu.

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BLUE JACKETS 
Columbus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $7.5 million contract with Jason Chimera. With the 28-year-old set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Blue Jackets were anxious to get his signature on a new deal. The durable forward, who has missed only two games in his two-plus seasons in Columbus, scored his 10th goal of the season in Thursday's 2-1 win over Phoenix.

CANADIENS 
Montreal goaltender Carey Price has had great success against Toronto in 2007-08. Therefore, it was not much of a surprise to see the recently recalled rookie between the pipes against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night. The 20-year-old was 3-0 against Toronto on the season and was hoping for more of the same in his first start for the Habs since January 5. However, the Leafs played with a sense of urgency that has been missing most of the season and came away with a 4-2 win. Price stopped 24 of 27 shots with Darcy Tucker scoring Toronto's final goal into an empty net.

COYOTES  
Roughly two years after being suspended from the NHL for his part in a gambling ring, assistant coach Rick Tocchet returned to the Coyotes bench for Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets. Despite the scandal that swirled around Tocchet through much of the ordeal, head coach Wayne Gretzky welcomed his longtime friend and colleague back with open arms.

ISLANDERS 
According to the New York Post, forward Miroslav Satan could be out of the Islanders lineup for an extended period after re-aggravating a knee injury in a Tuesday loss to the Ducks. Although he is listed as day-to-day, New York coach Ted Nolan indicated the injury is one that could take more time than expected to heal. With Satan joining Mike Sillinger (hip), Shawn Bates (hip) and Jon Sim (knee) in the infirmary, the undermanned Isles dropped a 4-3 decision to the Penguins. It was the sixth consecutive loss for New York.

MAPLE LEAFS 
The return of defenseman Bryan McCabe after a 22-game absence due to a broken hand gave Toronto a big boost on Thursday as they handed division rival Montreal a 4-2 loss. Despite the long layoff, the 32-year-old still played 23:14 minutes, finishing the night with no points and a plus-1 rating. Coincidentally, McCabe broke the hand in a December 15 game against the Canadiens. The veteran rearguard has a disappointing four goals and eight assists on the year after notching a combined 125 points over his previous two seasons.

PENGUINS 
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported that both Sidney Crosby and Gary Roberts skated on Wednesday, but warned that neither injured forward is ready to return. Crosby, who has been out since January 18 with a high ankle sprain, is not expected back until at least early March. Roberts, who has been sidelined since December 29 with a broken leg, could be back with the team by the end of February. With only 15 points (3-12-15) on the season thus far, Roberts is in jeopardy of missing the 40-point mark for just the second time in his last 11 years.

RANGERS 
New York sniper Jaromir Jagr was held pointless for the fifth consecutive game on Thursday as the Rangers lost a 4-1 decision to the Ducks. In the five games prior to his current cold streak, Jagr had tallied two goals with five assists. Despite Jagr's struggles, the Blueshirts have still managed to win three of the five games. On the year, Jagr has 15 goals and 32 assists.

RED WINGS 
Detroit had a chance to tie a franchise mark for consecutive wins with nine on Thursday, but fell short, losing to Los Angeles to snap their eight-game winning streak. Detroit had a good chance to win the game, but surprisingly allowed the Kings to score four unanswered goals in the third as Los Angeles skated to a 4-3 victory. Even with the loss, the Red Wings still lead the Central Division by 24 points over Nashville.

SENATORS 
Ottawa's Dany Heatley showed remarkably little rust in his return to the Senators lineup on Thursday after an 11-game absence due to a separated shoulder. The 27-year-old sniper had two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist as Ottawa downed Florida 5-4. Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was still unable to play due to a hip flexor, but he is hoping to be back on the ice with his teammates when they face Montreal on Saturday. The 11 games Heatley sat out were his first missed games since joining the Senators at the beginning of the 2005-06 season.

STARS 
A sore neck kept Dallas goalie Marty Turco from traveling to Minnesota to take on the Wild on Thursday night. That meant reserve netminder Mike Smith got the nod, with emergency call-up Tobias Stephan acting as the backup goalie. Smith sizzled, stopping all 25 Minnesota shots sent his way, as Dallas won a tight 1-0 decision. It was the second shutout of the year for the 25-year-old who is now 10-9-0 on the season.