Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Sid the Kid is back in action; Foppa makes his Avs return/debut; Briere sits out for Philly; Anderson continues his incredible hot-streak for Florida; Is Kiprusoff feeling the heat from Cujo?; DiPietro may be back Thursday; Poni is back for the Leafs; Rafalski returns for the Red Wings; and more...

MEAN STREAKS 
Just how important is toughness to winning in the new, finesse-first NHL? Very important, if you ask the Anaheim Ducks or the Chicago Blackhawks.

On paper, the two squads would appear to be two very different teams. The Ducks are a veteran-laded bunch built mostly on size, experience, and a winning pedigree. Meanwhile the 'Hawks are a young, up-and-coming bunch that seems to have embraced a speed-first, high-skill finesse game. Of course, the two teams have a few things in common: both are riding impressive recent winning streaks, and both teams play with a decidedly belligerent edge.

Heading into their game Wednesday in Chicago the Ducks are riding a 9-1-0 streak, while the fast-improving Blackhawks are on a 7-3-0 run. Meanwhile Anaheim has compiled the second-most penalty minutes in the NHL (1262) while Chicago is close behind, with the fourth-most sin-bin minutes (1124). When the final horn sounds Wednesday in what is sure to be a chippy contest, which of these mean teams will still have its streak?

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AVALANCHE 
It wasn't a Brad Richards-esque start for Peter Forsberg, but he'll take it. Playing in his first game of the season and first since re-signing with the Avs, on Tuesday Foppa logged a solid 19:57 against the Canucks to help Colorado to a 2-1 win. He didn't post a point but did managed three shots on goal, and logged 6:45 of power-play time. Look for it to take a week or so for the superstar pivot to get his legs back and start producing.

COYOTES 
He was always seen as an intelligent, hard-working, and charismatic guy as a player. So it's not a huge reach that Sean Burke has landed a job as the Coyotes' director of prospect development. After almost two decades in the NHL he obviously knows his way around and has met a few scouts, and along with Phoenix he played with seven other franchises. He played up until last year (when he was with the Kings) and joins a growing trend of former NHL stars taking on significant front-office spots soon after retirement.

FLAMES 
Is having Curtis Joseph around proving to be a motivator for Miikka Kiprusoff? Only Kiprusoff knows, but it's certainly looking that way. Cujo has played very well since signing on with the Flames at the start of February, allowing just four goals in his past four appearances. That step-up performance seems to be lighting a fire under the previously-inconsistent Kiprusoff, who allowed 10 goals over two starts in mid-February but has been stellar since. On Monday Kiprusoff posted his second shutout in his past five outings, stopping 39 Columbus shots en route to a 1-0 Calgary win. In the end, though, it's probably the breaks that Joseph provides that's been doing Kipper the most good.

FLYERS 
He's not having quite the same jaw-dropping season as he did last year, but the Flyers will certainly have a task in finding someone to replace Daniel Briere for the next little while. The crafty, high-scoring center sat out Tuesday's matchup with the Sabres due to a sprained right shoulder he suffered in Sunday's game against the Devils. With Simon Gagne (concussion) and Mike Richards (hamstring) also out, Philly is missing three of its top six forwards (so it's no shocker they lost 5-2 on Tuesday to Buffalo). Briere appears to be day-to-day for now. Expect the team to lean a little more heavily on its youngsters while Briere's out.

ISLANDERS 
When will Rick DiPietro be back for the Isles? Probably Thursday, according to an Associated Press report. On Tuesday, Long Island's franchise goalie missed his second straight game, due to the death of his grandmother. Team GM Garth Snow told the AP he expects DiPietro back on Thursday, but that it would be up to the coaching staff. In DiPietro's absence Tuesday, backup Wade Dubielewicz filled in well, stopping 27 Rangers' shots to lead the Isles to a 4-3 win.

MAPLE LEAFS 
Welcome back to the ice, Alexei Ponikarovsky. The underrated but oft-injured winger suited up Tuesday and played his first game since February 23 (when he was knocked out of the lineup with sore ribs). His return wasn't enough to stop a 4-1 loss to the Devils, however. 'Poni' played almost 14 minutes and registered no points with a minus-1 rating. With him back, expect rookie Jiri Tlusty to see a decrease in ice-time.

PANTHERS 
How good has Craig Anderson been in the nets lately? Very, very good. On Tuesday he pitched his second straight shutout for Florida, blanking the struggling Bruins 1-0. With 40 saves Tuesday, Anderson has now stopped 93 straight attempts (with the 53 he turned back Sunday against the Isles, which was an NHL record for a shutout). Since Tomas Vokoun hasn't won since mid-February, it wouldn't be a shocker to see Anderson get the nod in net while he stays red-hot.

PENGUINS 
Hello again, Sidney Crosby. With his return to the ice on Tuesday versus the Lightning, Sid the Kid played his first game since suffering a serious ankle sprain against the Lightning on Jan.18. The NHL's reigning Hart Trophy winner didn't look rusty at all, posting an assist and a plus-2 rating to help the Pens beat Tampa Bay 2-0. With Crosby back in action, teammate Evgeni Malkin didn't let up on his huge surge since Crosby went down. Malkin scored the insurance marker into an empty net in the third.

RED WINGS 
Recently the Red Wings got great news when rising star defenseman Niklas Kronwall returned from a shoulder injury that cost him roughly a month. Now the news is getting even better for the Detroit D, as Brian Rafalski has been activated from injured reserve. A groin strain has kept the speedy rearguard out for eight games, but he joins Kronwall to give the team an offensive boost.
SABRES 
This has been a decidedly disappointing season for Maxim Afinogenov. The speedy winger started off the campaign struggling, then missed 26 games to a groin injury. But since being activated recently Afinogenov may be ready to rebound. He had an assist in his second outing back (Mar.2 against the Red Wings) and Tuesday potted two goals and added an assist to lead the Sabres to their fourth straight win, a 5-2 victory over the Flyers.