Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Will Crosby suit up Monday?; Getzlaf back soon?; Hiller a hot handcuff; Khabibulin a wall again; Briere heats up; B's Bergeron back this season?; Mara ready to return; and more...

THREE KINGS 
Are the Pittsburgh Penguins the NHL's most explosive offensive lineup? We may finally find out on Monday, if Sidney Crosby returns to the ice.

The 20-year-old superstar has missed five straight games because of a lingering right ankle injury. Sid the Kid severely sprained the ankle Jan.18 and missed almost seven weeks, then attempted to return to action on March 4. Three games later Crosby shut it down again due to recurring pain, but he recently told the Associated Press the ankle feels better and stronger and he has joined the team on their road trip. Crosby was leading the NHL in scoring when he first injured it in January, but since then teammate Evgeni Malkin has put the Pens on his back and is challenging usual Crosby rival Alexander Ovechkin for the NHL's scoring lead.

If Crosby can get back on the ice Monday in Long Island, it will mark his first game with new linemate Marian Hossa (acquired at the trade deadline from the Thrashers). Along with the surging Malkin, will Sid the Kid and Hossa give the Penguins the NHL's top trio?

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GETZLAF BACK SOON? 
Ducks' star forward Ryan Getzlaf missed Saturday's game against the Coyotes with what the Los Angeles Times says is an upper-body injury. The Times reports head coach Randy Carlyle hopes to have Getzlaf back in the lineup by Wednesday (when Anaheim takes on the Kings). INTEL: Getzlaf's injury resulted in a small boost in playing time for Todd Bertuzzi (who saw 19:39, up from his usual 16 or so minutes). It also saw rookie Bobby Ryan log 13 minutes, a big jump from his usual role. Bertuzzi managed two assists Saturday (both on Teemu Selanne markers), and is showing he still has great hands and might need more playing time. That said, the Ducks are desperate for Getzlaf to return, especially with Corey Perry out until at least late April because of a quad injury.

HOT HILLER HANDCUFF 
Despite having stitches in his forehead from a Friday shot in the mask, Ducks' backup Jonas Hiller stopped 30 of 31 saves Saturday for a win over the Coyotes. It was Hiller's second straight start in place of usual starter Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who is out due to back spasms. INTEL: Hiller remains a solid handcuff for Giguere. The Los Angeles Times reports head coach Randy Carlyle hopes Giguere can be back by Anaheim's next game (Wednesday at home to the Kings). If Hiller plays, expect similiarly solid results. His 8-6 record this season doesn't do justice to Hiller's .926 save percentage and 2.09 goals-against average, and he has allowed 1.25 goals per game over his past four starts.

KHABIBULIN A WALL AGAIN 
Blackhawks' netminder Nikolai Khabibulin on Sunday continued his recent unbeaten streak, turning away 26 of 29 St. Louis shots in Chicago's 4-3 overtime win. He hasn't lost since Jan.30 against the Avalanche, a string of nine straight games. INTEL: Of course, the Blackhawks have lost four of those nine contests, but three of the losses were in overtime and the other was a game he didn't start. Before allowing Sunday's three goals, Khabibulin hadn't yielded more than two goals during the streak and also has two shutouts over that span. It's notable that he missed almost a month in the middle of this streak due to knee and back problems, but he appears to have sent Patrick Lalime back to full-time backup status.

KANE STAYS CALDER-WORTHY 
Blackhawks' rookie winger Patrick Kane scored two points Sunday (a goal and an assist), including the game-winning goal in overtime to help Chicago to a 4-3 win over the Blues. INTEL: With the two point, Kane moved ahead of Washington forward Niklas Backstrom for the lead in the rookie scoring race. After 76 games apiece, Kane has 65 points and is a minus-7, while Backstrom has 64 points with a plus-10. With both teams on the playoff bubble, the voting will be even tougher for the Calder Trophy (awarded to the NHL's rookie of the year).

BARKER MISSES SECOND STRAIGHT 
Blackhawks' defenseman Cam Barker on Sunday sat out his second straight game due to a slight concussion. Barker sustained the injury Wednesday against the Capitals. The Chicago Daily Herald reports Barker was close to playing Sunday. INTEL: Looks like the 'Hawks are being careful with their blue-chip blueliner. Barker has been one of Chicago's most promising prospects for a few years now, and was on a bit of a tear before the hit by Matt Cooke knocked him out of the lineup (posting six points in his past seven full healthy outings). He has star potential going forward and appears day-to-day. As long as he is out, look for young Niklas Hjalmarsson to play regularly for the Hawks.

BERGERON BACK THIS SEASON? 
The Associated Press reports Bruins' center Patrice Bergeron has been participating in non-contract drills in recent weeks, and that Bergeron hopes to be back this season sometime. But head coach Claude Julien told the AP the team is not going to activate Bergeron until he is 100 percent healed from a severe concussion. INTEL: Bergeron has been out since Oct.27, when a hit by Flyers' defenseman Randy Jones gave him the concussion and broke his nose. With Boston barely clinging to a playoff spot right now, it stands to reason that they might consider bringing Bergeron back soon if he's cleared for contact. But as Julien asserts, the Bruins are placing a higher priority on Bergeron's long-term health. Bergeron remains a rising star, but until he is fully cleared for action it would be unwise to expect anything from his the rest of this regular season.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR BRIERE 
Sabres' center Daniel Briere on Sunday posted three points (one goal and two assists) as well as a plus-1 rating to lead Buffalo to a 4-1 win over the Islanders. It was Briere's second straight multi-point performance. INTEL: Briere has been a bit disappointing this season on the heels of his 95-point performance in 2006-07. The back-to-back strong efforts are his first multi-point games since he had a goal and an assist against the Islanders back on Feb.12. He has not been as much of a playmaker this season, but part of that is due to significant injuries to finishers Simon Gagne and Joffrey Lupul.

HJALMARSSON TALLIES FIRST POINT 
On Sunday against the Blues, Blackhawks' rookie defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson posted the first point of his NHL career. He finished the 4-3 win with an assist and a plus-1 rating. INTEL: A fourth-round draft pick back in 2005, the 20-year-old Hjalmarsson has played 11 games for the Blackhawks since being called up from the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs. He is getting a little more time than usual lately, mostly because fellow young blueliner Cam Barker is out with a head injury. Hjalmarssen managed only three goals and four assists in 38 games for the Ice Hogs (along with a minus-5) and he's a minus-4 so far for Chicago. In other words, he's not yet someone to consider as a significant contributor, fantasy or otherwise.

MARA READY FOR RETURN 
New York Newsday reports Rangers' manager Tom Renney says defenseman Paul Mara is no longer unable to play because of his facial injury, but that Renney is still deciding when he will have Mara play again. INTEL: It doesn't sound like Renney is chomping at the bit to get his veteran defenseman back into the lineup. Mara has been out for a month, and perhaps it's the fact that the Rangers have been doing relatively well lately, and have solid depth on the blueline, that Renney isn't rushing Mara. At 28 Mara is a solid rearguard but has never quite lived up to being the No.7 overall pick of the 1997 NHL Draft. He has one goal and 17 assists (with a plus-3 rating) in 55 games this season.
RUSSELL BACK TUESDAY? 
The Columbus Dispatch reports Blue Jackets' defenseman Kris Russell will likely return to action against the Predators in Nashville on Tueday. Russell has missed the past two contests because of sore groin. INTEL: This isn't huge news for either the Jackets or fantasy poolies trying to win their leagues down the stretch, mostly because Russell has been a healthy scratch in roughly half of Columbus' games the past month. That said, he is certainly a player to keep an eye on for next season. Russell is still only 20 years old, and was the Defenseman of the Year last season in the CHL. He has the raw goods to be a high-scoring rearguard in the Brian Rafalski mold, so watch for him in 2008-09.