Marc Staal returns to lineup; Avery, Gilroy scratched

After missing two games with an undisclosed injury -- believed to be a sore left knee that he twisted last month -- defenseman Marc Staal practiced with the team today and will return tonight at home against Ottawa.

"It'll be good to be back in the lineup and try to win a big game at home," said Staal, who skated on his own yesterday and was cleared to play by the training staff. "Felt pretty good, so I'll be back at it tonight... It's been hard to watch, we're playing great and we've been winning so it makes it a little easier."

Staal, who had played 264 games before the Feb. 22 injury, which caused him to skip three games, conceded that this time, he "didn't expect to be out this long; it's not something you can prepare for."

This five-day rest -- since March 19 -- he said, "doesn't hurt. . . We have a lot of games through this span, but obviously I wanted to be on the ice and playing."

Henrik Lundqvist wasn't necessarily overjoyed to see him at practice. Near the end, the seven defensemen lined up for shots at Lundqvist, and Staal's rising slapper hit him square in the mask with a resounding crack, and Lundqvist, who has the remnants of a sore neck and jaw from the collision with Montreal's Benoit Pouliot, lost his balance and fell backwards.

But he got up quickly and shouted as he angrily flipped the puck back toward the blue line.  He eventually skated to the other end, joining a quick team meeting on ice with coach John Tortorella, before leaving the ice with the first group of players.

"I'm okay," Lundqvist said tersely at his locker.

Said Staal: "He's okay, he's a little sensitive sometimes." Having not shot a puck for  almost a week, he said:  "It got away from me, that's my excuse. He's okay, that's what matters."

Sean Avery and Matt Gilroy were skating with the assistant coaches afterward, along with Derek Boogaard, a sign that they are the two scratches.