GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal skated Saturday for the first time since sustaining the second concussion of his career on Dec. 7 against the New Jersey Devils. Staal felt good so he returned to the ice Sunday and was planning to go harder to get a better understanding of where he is in his recovery.

There is still no timetable for his return, but Staal is hoping to skate again Monday and continue his workouts through the three-day holiday break.

"The same workout I did last week that I had a tough time with, I did this week and got through it fine," Staal said Sunday morning before going on the ice. "It's a gauge and you just keep ramping it up as you feel better. That's what I've been doing."

Staal has consulted with Michigan-based neurologist Dr. Jeffrey Scott Kutcher, who has also treated Rangers forwards Rick Nash and Taylor Pyatt, but he said he never felt the need to meet with him in person.

"If I felt I was in serious trouble I would have been up there," Staal said.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault is keeping the glass half-full approach as his team slogs through a tough stretch in which it has started a franchise-record nine-game homestand with just one win and four points.

"I see a lot of hard work. I see good commitment from the group," Vigneault said Sunday morning in advance of the Rangers' game against the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden. "Everybody is trying to find solutions. Everyone is sticking with one another. I see a lot of signs that we're going to start winning on a more regular basis."

Vigneault is pointing specifically to the Rangers' 5-on-5 play.

After breaking down the 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday, Vigneault said the Rangers had an 11-3 advantage in scoring chances during 5-on-5 play.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will be in the lineup Friday against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center despite not participating in the morning skate.

Getzlaf was receiving treatment stemming from the facial injury he sustained Tuesday, when he went face-first into the corner boards thanks to a shove by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey, who was called for boarding and issued a game misconduct.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed Getzlaf will not miss any time because of his facial injury.

"I wasn't nervous when he went in [to the boards] until I saw his face when he came out," Boudreau said of Getzlaf, who was bleeding after making contact with the boards. "He's a very tough player. He doesn't stay down because of injury. When he's along the boards or getting hit I have a lot of faith that he's old-school tough."

NEWARK, N.J. -- It's been almost 26 years since Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr played against each other for the first time. The last NHL meeting between the two legends and future members of the Hockey Hall of Fame could take place Friday at Prudential Center.

Selanne, 43, is retiring at the end of the season and the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks won't play against each other again in the regular season. The only way the game Friday won't be the last time Selanne and Jagr play against each other is if the Devils and Ducks make the Stanley Cup Final or one of them gets traded.

There's no way the Ducks trade Selanne and it seems remote that 41-year-old Jagr would be available at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 5 because he's the Devils' leading scorer and the team figures to be in a race for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Anaheim leads the Pacific Division with 53 points, and the Devils are two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final automatic playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.

"You never want to let go of heroes," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "I think both of them doing great is good for the game. Both very popular players, both well loved by the home fan bases and across the League, quite frankly. I'm glad they're both playing well."

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils expect to have two veteran players back in their lineup soon. The question is whether it's before the NHL's three-day break for Christmas or after.

Forward Ryane Clowe (concussion) and defenseman Bryce Salvador (non-displaced stress fracture in foot) participated in the morning skate Friday in advance of the Devils' game against the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center. Neither will play against the Ducks, but Clowe and Salvador have not been ruled out for New Jersey's upcoming road games Saturday against the Washington Capitals and Monday at the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Devils bring a two-game winning streak into their game Friday; the Ducks have won six in a row and are 9-1-2 in their past 12.

"As close as possible here now," Clowe said. "That will be the next step, get back in the game. I communicated with the coach and GM about how I felt and I think they wanted me to get in a couple more practices, maybe a little more contact, and I guess a little bit of extra patience at this point is not a big deal."

Stephen Gionta will return to the New Jersey Devils' lineup Wednesday after missing the past 11 games with a sprained right ankle.

Gionta skated as the center on the fourth line between Steve Bernier and Cam Janssen during the Devils' morning skate at Prudential Center in advance of their game against the Ottawa Senators. He has two assists and is a minus-5 in 21 games this season.

Janssen is in the lineup despite leaving practice early Tuesday with an apparent right leg injury.

Martin Brodeur will start for the Devils after making 33 saves in a 3-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. That performance came on the heels of Brodeur allowing five goals in a 5-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 10.

NEW YORK -- Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is quietly doing extra work away from his day job scouting players who are on the bubble for Finland's Olympic team.

Kekalainen was named Finland's assistant general manager in late October. The Finns have won the silver medal (2006) and two bronze medals (1998 and 2010) since NHL players started participating in the Olympics in 1998.

"I've gone to see the players we need to see," Kekalainen told NHL.com. "We obviously don't have the deep depth chart of Canada or Team USA. We only have four defensemen that play in the NHL now. It's not like we have to scout 50 NHL players to make a decision on who is going to play. There are going to be a certain number of guys that we're pretty sure that they're going to be on the team and then there are a handful of guys that we have to make decisions on. We're concentrating on those guys, watching those guys more. I watch a lot of video, but I've seen everybody live too."

NEWARK, N.J. -- Center Darren Helm is the latest addition to the growing Detroit Red Wings injury list, but at least they will have one player back in the lineup Friday when they face the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

Right wing Todd Bertuzzi is returning after missing the past six games with an upper-body injury. He will start the game on the first line, with Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist.

The Red Wings will be without Helm (shoulder), captain Henrik Zetterberg (back), center Pavel Datsyuk (concussion) and defenseman Danny DeKeyser (shoulder). Helm is missing his first game after playing in 15 straight. An MRI exam Thursday showed fluid in the forward's shoulder.

"I'm excited to be back," Bertuzzi said. "It's not a lot of fun when you're out and all that, but it was out of my control. I feel better and I'm playing with two pretty good players so my job doesn't really change. It's get them the puck, go to the net, get to the hard areas."

NEWARK, N.J. -- For the second time in three days Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien offered effusive praise when talking about P.K. Subban's defensive play.

That's news, because not more than a few weeks ago Therrien was reluctant to use Subban late in close games because he didn't seem to trust his defensive play.

"Big time," Therrien said when asked if Subban's defensive play is a reason why the Canadiens have been one of the NHL's best defensive teams of late, yielding two or fewer goals in 11 straight games. "I would say to you big time.

"He's still a threat offensively. He's still a threat on the power play. We give him different responsibilities defensively playing against good players around the League and he's shown a lot of leadership the way he's preparing himself and approaching the game. Definitely defensively he's been really, really, really good."

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils forward Reid Boucher will make his NHL debut Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS) after being recalled by the club earlier in the day. Boucher skated on a line with Patrik Elias and Steve Bernier during the morning skate.

The Devils also placed Ryan Carter (leg) on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 30.

Boucher leads the Albany Devils, New Jersey's American Hockey League affiliate, with 10 goals in 21 games. He is second on the team with 18 points. He had been particularly hot of late with a goal in five straight games.

"I was hoping that a call would come soon; I wasn't expecting a call," Boucher said. "I was just trying to do what I could down there, play the best I could. I have been producing a lot the last couple of games so I was hoping it would come."