Frozen Ponderings

The stat sheet said that Pavel Bure had 10 shots on net Wednesday against the Rangers. He did -- and several of them were point-blank. But there are two important things to add, one of which didn't make the postgame report: Most of the shots were in the third period when the game was virtually out of reach, and Bure didn't have a single point. The reason? Defensemen Kim Johnsson and Tomas Kloucek were matched up against Bure, and did a great job containing him while the game was on the line. "They did a good job," coach Ron Low said. "I think he (Bure) only got through the middle once all night, which is pretty good because we were looking for it." Florida GM Bill Torrey and Rangers GM Glen Sather ate together in the Rangers' media room together before Wednesday's Rangers-Panthers game. It'd been nice to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Montreal reclamation project Jim Campbell has had one strange season. Despite having a one-way deal, the Canadiens thought he could use some time in the minors because he hadn't been scoring. With all the injuries Montreal has had, that says a lot. But back with the team, he spoils Mario Lemieux's return to Montreal by scoring twice in Wednesday's 4-2 win. St. Louis's free fall from the Western Conference pinnacle has been as swift as it has been unfortunate. Playing poorly is one thing -- it happens. But losing because the core of a team is gutted by injury is completely different. Without key players such as Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis, Pavol Demitra, Michal Handzus and Tyson Nash the Blues have dropped five of their last seven. And to further challenge the team, six of the next eight games are on the road.

It's a no-brainer that Owen Nolan is excited to return after his 11-game suspension for punching Dallas' Grant Marshall in the face on Feb. 1.

Champing at the bit is more like it.

"Watching games was frustrating," Nolan said. "I'm definitely excited. And the one positive (of the suspension) is that I had some time to heal some bumps and bruises. I'm pretty fresh."

During Nolan's time away, it didn't seem like the San Jose Sharks needed him. As he worked out and led what he termed a "boring" existence, the Sharks rolled on.

San Jose went 4-1-2 over the first seven games of the suspension. That helped offset a 6-2-1 streak by the Stars and kept the Sharks in first place in the Pacific Division.

"The team handled it well," Nolan said. "It showed the type of character the team has. We really came together as a team and found a way to win."

But the Sharks have lost three of their last four games -- the last two against playoff-caliber competition -- reducing their Pacific lead to one point. So, Nolan's return couldn't come at a better time, especially considering that 12 of the remaining 19 games are against teams over .500.

The Sharks, who scored just six goals in their last four games, need Nolan most for his offense. His grit, toughness and leadership are crucial as well, but San Jose isn't a great scoring team. Currently, the Sharks have scored 171 goals, 40 fewer than league-leading Colorado. Fifteen teams have more goals than San Jose, whose top goal scorer, Patrick Marleau, has just two of his 22 goals in the last 12 games.

According to Nolan (18 goals, 22 assists in 38 games), even his presence might not offset some weakness up front, which is even more acute without injured Vincent Damphousse, who still leads the team in points despite being out for more than a month.

"If you look at the teams that do real well in the playoffs, they all have two solid goal-scoring lines," Nolan said. "We're a great defensive team, but right now, we only have like 1½ lines."

Mailbag
During the season, a question or two from ESPN.com users will be answered in every edition of In the Corners. If you want to get a question answered, click here and ask away.

Question from John Mason from New Bedford, Mass,: With the trading deadline almost here, will the Bruins try trading for Jeremy Roenick?

Response: The Bruins -- and their fans -- would like to have Roenick, who played his high school hockey in the area and displays the style of play Boston fans love. Unfortunately, it might be a difficult proposition. Both Jason Allison and Bill Guerin will be restricted free agents this offseason and should command salaries in the $6 million range. Unless one of them is included in a deal with Phoenix, the Bruins would be hard-pressed to sign all three -- Roenick is due to be unrestricted.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.