Travis Zajac earned an assist in his return to New Jersey's linuep on Sunday against Pittsburgh. He helped set up Ilya Kovalchuk's 32nd goal of the season in the third period and finished with 13:31 of ice time in his first game since Jan. 2. Coach Pete DeBoer helped manage Zajac's minutes by having Jacob Josefson sub in for him for a few shifts alongside Alexei Ponikarovsky and Kovalchuk. The Devils center said he felt better as the contest went on and he makes for an intriguing pickup for the rest of the regular season.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) will return to the lineup Sunday against the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins. Zajac has suited up in just eight games this season because of his bothersome Achilles but skated with Ilya Kovalchuk in practice on a line that also included Alexei Ponikarovsky. "Right now, the plan is he'll play, but we'll see how he feels in the morning," Coach DeBoer said. "He looked great. He's obviously a guy we've missed all year. It's nice to see him almost back to normal." He's worth a look in deeper leagues.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) is hoping to return on Sunday. Zajac has played in only eight games this season and none since Jan. 2. At this point, we wouldn't count on him to have much of an impact in fantasy leagues over the final weeks of the season, but he could provide a boost for the Devils in the playoffs.

There's a chance that Travis Zajac (Achilles) will play on Sunday. Zajac appears to be close to returning, but nothing is set in stone. He's been limited to just eight games this season.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) will miss Friday's game. "We're not going to rush it," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "It wasn't him saying he's not ready. I never said that he would play tonight." On the plus side, Zajac took part in the Devils' Friday morning skate.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) participated in the Devils' Friday morning skate. Zajac also took part in Thursday's practice. He said on Thursday that he wouldn't be available for Friday's contest.

Travis Zajac took part in Thursday's practice as an extra forward, as he continues to work his way back into the lineup from an Achilles tendon injury. He joined Cam Janssen as green jersey owners during the session, which means he probably won't dress on Friday when Toronto visits. Zajac has suited up in just eight games this season because of his bothersome Achilles, but he is very close to returning again.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) is confident that he'll be back in the lineup before the end of the regular season "Knowing where I'm at and how I feel, I definitely do feel confident that some time in the near future [he'll play]," he said. "It's just being patient." Zajac hasn't played since Jan. 2 and he isn't expected to suit up Monday, but he has resumed full practices.

Travis Zajac (Achilles) took part in a full practice on Friday. Zajac has been limited to eight games this season because of an injured left Achilles tendon. It's not clear when he'll return to the Devils' lineup, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Devils center Travis Zajac said he came back too soon from a torn Achilles tendon. While Zajac's return to action in December did not result in his re-injuring the tendon that he tore last summer during off-ice workouts, he admits he was not conditioned to the degree he should have been. Zajac played eight games before shutting it down again. He has been picking up the pace during practice this week, but there is no timetable for when he will come back.