Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Nolan making his presence felt in Calgary; Smyth returns to Avs after six weeks on the sidelines; Toews back on track after long layoff; Brind'Amour done for the season; Lundqvist inks six-year extension with Blueshirts; and more...
NOLAN OF OLD 
Calgary's Owen Nolan has gotten his season on track over the past month. In his last 12 games, the burly veteran has seven goals and two assists.

Interestingly, Nolan's goals have all come in multi-scoring efforts. He had a pair in a 5-4 loss to the Islanders on January 13. He would then notch his only hat trick of the season in a 5-4 win over the Sharks on January 30. And this past week, the veteran had two more goals in a 4-1 victory over the Oilers.

Nolan, who just turned 36 on Tuesday, now has 14 goals and eight assists in 52 games thus far. If he can stay healthy, the still feisty power forward could be a very important player for the Flames come playoff time. The Flames take on the Kings in Los Angeles on Friday night.

---

AVALANCHE 
Colorado was happy to have forward Ryan Smyth back in the lineup on Thursday after a six-week layoff due to a fractured ankle. The veteran was not much of a factor, notching only a two-minute roughing penalty in a 4-1 loss to St. Louis. While Smyth's teammates are happy to have him back, they now may have to wave good-bye to stalwart defenseman Brett Clark who could be gone for the season with a dislocated shoulder. The fact super sophomore Paul Stastny is now being held back by a sore groin, after recovering from an appendectomy, adds even more insult to injury for the undermanned Avalanche. Banged-up captain Joe Sakic (hernia) remains on injured reserve.

BLACKHAWKS 
Chicago rookie Jonathan Toews looks to have shaken off the rust in his third game back from a knee injury that cost him 16 games. The 19-year-old scored two goals and added an assist in the Blackhawks' 6-1 rout of the Predators on Thursday. Despite the long layoff, a solid stretch run could land Toews back in the Rookie of the Year race where the main competition remains 18-year-old teammate Patrick Kane. In other Chicago news, goalie Nikolai Khabibulin's knee injury on Wednesday forced the club to call up netminder Corey Crawford from the AHL on Thursday to back up Patrick Lalime.

HURRICANES 
Carolina will be without Rod Brind'Amour for the remainder of the season after the team captain tore his left ACL early in Thursday's 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. It is a devastating loss for the Hurricanes who are already without injured forwards Matt Cullen (eye), Justin Williams (knee) and newly acquired Patrick Eaves (shoulder). The front office probably wishes they could take back the Cory Stillman trade with the Senators earlier this week. Brind'Amour was leading Carolina in scoring with 51 points (19-32-51).

ISLANDERS 
Defenseman Bryan Berard finally had the kind of game on Thursday the Islanders front office had hoped would be commonplace when they signed him as a free agent this past offseason. The 30-year-old had a goal and a pair of helpers in New York's 5-4 comeback win over Toronto. Staying healthy has once again been a major stumbling block for Berard in 2007-08. Injuries have limited him to only 30 games this season, during which he has only five goals and eight assists. Over his past two seasons in Columbus, the veteran rearguard managed to play only 55 of 164 possible games.

LIGHTNING 
Tampa's Martin St. Louis picked up his second three-point game in his last five contests with a goal and two assists in Thursday's 5-3 win over Philadelphia. The diminutive forward now has 21 goals and 49 assists on the season. The win was the fourth in five games for the Lightning who are slowly digging themselves out of the Eastern Conference cellar.

MAPLE LEAFS 
There is no question that 2007-08 has been one of the toughest seasons of Darcy Tucker's career. The veteran Maple Leafs shift disturber has been off his game virtually all season and will most likely finish the year with the worst numbers of his career. On the bright side, the 32-year-old has been on a bit of a mini-roll of late. He scored a goal in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes and now has four goals in his past four games. He still has just 10 on the year to go with eight assists, making him one of Toronto's top candidates to be moved prior to the looming trade deadline.
PANTHERS 
Multiple reports indicate Panthers forward Richard Zednik could be released from a Buffalo hospital on Saturday, just days after being cut in the neck by teammate Olli Jokinen's skate. That's great news considering how close the injury came to being much worse.

PENGUINS 
Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin scored a goal in his fourth consecutive game on Thursday as the Penguins dropped a 4-2 decision to the Hurricanes. The Russian sniper has been on a tear since taking over as the team's main offensive force in the wake of Sidney Crosby's knee injury in mid-January. In 12 games since Crosby went down, Malkin has 10 goals and 13 assists. He now has 33 goals and 42 assists on the season.

RANGERS 
The New York Rangers signed goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to a six-year, $41.25 million contract extension on Thursday that will keep the 25-year-old in Manhattan through the 2013-14 season. A finalist for the Vezina in his first two years in the NHL, the Swedish backstop has struggled a bit in his third year in the league. He currently owns a 24-21-5 record with a 2.37 GAA. Lundqvist has lost his last two games--to the Ducks and Kings--allowing a total of eight goals in the process.