from Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea,

Dan Boyle picked a good time to return to San Jose, considering he’d like to stick it to some of his former teammates.

The 38-year-old defenseman will be playing as a visitor at SAP Center for the first time since Jan. 16, 2006, and not only is he playing his best hockey of the season after a pair of health issues, but the Rangers are the NHL’s hottest team, with 12 wins in their last 13 games.

“There’s a lot of guys that talk smack for six years, and it will be fun to be on the other side of it,” Boyle said with a smile on Saturday morning. “You want to make sure you get the win, because there are a lot of guys that have big mouths and they are going to rub it in your face for a little while. We won’t get that chance to settle the score again for another year.”

continued