Devils get Greene back from broken foot

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Devils are getting defenseman Andy Greene back in time to get him up to speed for the sprint to the finish line of the 2011-12 regular season.

Greene, who missed the last 22 games due to a broken left foot, will be in the lineup Tuesday night against the Rangers at Prudential Center. He hasn't played since Dec. 6.

"There's no better game to get right back into it," said Greene, who has 9 assists and is averaging 18:24 of ice time in 23 games this season. "It's going to be an exciting game (against the Rangers), some playoff-type action. Pretty much all the games from here on out are, but this one being the Rangers will obviously have more intensity and it means a little bit more."

Greene didn't practice with the Devils until Monday, but said he spent the All-Star break skating with a few of his teammates. He feels he's in game shape, but he knows that he'll have to focus on keeping things simple Tuesday night because he still has to get his timing back.

"I think we're going to probably have to manage his ice time," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "We'll see how he is. A lot of times these guys come back in this situation and the first game on adrenaline they're really good and then they hit the wall a day or two down the road, so it may be something we might have to watch as the week goes on. I expect him to be fine (Tuesday night)."

DeBoer said he still isn't sure who Greene will play with to start the game, but he was listed next to Mark Fayne on the whiteboard inside the Devils' dressing room.

"After a few shifts I think I'll be back up to speed," Greene said, "but I have to keep it simple and try not to get caught in bad situations."

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl

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