Blue Notes

Some glitches apparently.

If you can cut-n-paste, fine. If not, just go to newsday.com/sports and click onto the Rangers page.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I've sent a note to our web sports editor to set up links to everything from Blue Notes before the season begins Thursday,

Let's go to the cutting room floor: Very little of this was in today's paper, so read on:

As the Rangers exhibition schedule concluded last night in Philly with a 3-2 win on Marc Staal's goal with 1:11 left last night, what did we learn?
Lesson 1: They won't be bullied this season. If a Flyer took liberties, there was a rapid response.
Near the end of a quiet and scoreless first period, Colton Orr and defenseman Jason Smith squared off.
Then with 21 seconds left, Jaromir Jagr---who had missed the Islanders game with a hip flexor strain---was hit high behind the Philadelphia net by Mike Richards and Chris Drury immediately took exception, earning a two-minute roughing penalty, a five-minute major and a ten-minute misconduct.
When Nigel Dawes was flatted by Smith early in the second period, Brendan Shanahan dropped his gloves. On the next shift, Jason Strudwick decisioned Riley Cote.
And this was all with chronic irritant Sean Avery (groin) scratched for the second straight game.
Lesson No. 2: Rangers will have to avoid 5-on-3s, especially against the Flyers. Without veteran special-teamers Michael Rozsival and Marek Malik out (scratched), .Richards tied the score with a blast from the right circle with a two-man advantage at 10:53 of the second period, just 10 seconds after Jagr (tripping) and Thomas Pock (hooking) were sent off. Simon Gagne blasted a high slapper during another 5-on-3 with Dan Girardi (hooking) and Marc Staal (holding) off.
Lesson No. 3: C Brandon Dubinsky will make the club. He battled all night and knocked a rebound past goaltender Martin Biron on a power play at 7:15 of the second. The Rangers other young center, Artem Anisimov, was scratched for the second straight game and seems ticketed for Hartford.
Lesson 4: Dawes will be a tough cut. After a three-assist game against the Isles, he tipped in Paul Mara's right point shot on the power play at 1:47 of the third.
In six pre-season games, the Rangers were 3-2-1.
But none of them count until Thursday, when the curtain finally goes up at home against Florida.

ALSO: Here are links to my Rangers and NHL previews, which ran today:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/nysprang305396469sep30,0,6453676.story

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/ny-spnhlprev0930,0,6462842.story

Howdy from the Wachovia Center, where hundreds of Flyers fans are watching the Phillies/Nationals on the center-ice video boards.

Jaromir Jagr, wearing the C, is here and scheduled to play. Sean Avery (groin) is here but not dressed..

The other scratches: Rozsival, Malik, Prucha, Anisimov, Valiquette.

The starters: Lundqvist, Hossa, Betts, Callahan, Tyutin, Girardi.

Straka and Shanahan are alternate captains.

Martin Biron starts in net for philly.
More later...

The Kings' Mike Cammalleri scores first goal of the NHL season on a power play....

In my NHL season preview, available with my Rangers preview on newsday.com later or tomorrow, Cammalleri was listed as one of my breakout players...

Off to a good start, huh?

Hope the Rangers play in Europe next season....

....in London, and away we go....

First penalty of the season: Todd Bertuzzi.

Fitting?

OK, headed south in the Mountaineer to Cheesesteakville in a couple hours and dreading the late-afternoon congestion around Citibank Park---hard by the Wachovia Center--- where the Phillies could clinch.

If I arrive a half-hour or more after first pitch, it may be smoother.

Assume I'll listen to the Mets radio broadcast on the trip, interspersed with tunes. I'm thinking the Flushing Flashes make a stand today.

I know on the way back north post-game I'll be tapping the wheel to Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me"---actually, the version I prefer is from Rolling Stones Now (1965).

"New Jersey Turnpike in the wee, wee hours
I was rolling slowly 'cause of drizzlin' showers
Up come a flattop, he was movin' up with me
Then come sailin' goodbye
In a little old souped-up mini
I put my foot in my tank and I begin to roll
Moanin' sirens was the state patrol
So I get out my wings and then I blew my horn
Bye-bye New Jersey, I become airborne..."

Anyway, on to hockey.

Wondering whether Jagr will play against the Flyers (don't see the need). Nigel Dawes probably should.

His three second-period assists against a semi-pro Islanders team on Friday notwithstanding, the kid has talent, and is probably the first call-up from Hartford.

I'm guessing Al Montoya will play at least some today, after Henrik Lundqvist (1-2-0) stopped 20 of 22. Will update everyone of the status of Steve Valiquette, who said he could play with the stitches in his glove hand, but the coaches may not want to risk it.

As for defenseman Andrew Hutchinson, he was released, according to coach Tom Renney, and apparently en route to Hartford, but as of last night was not put on waivers. That could happen today, I assume.

Random stat: Shanahan's two goals last night tied him with Gomez and Straka for pre-season lead.

For your daily planner: Rangers are off Sunday, so like me, you should catch some of Versus' opening telecast: Ducks-Kings from London. If your cable/sat provider allows....

More from the press room later, gang....

Jagr (hip flexor) and Avery (groin) not only won't play tonight, as we reported this morning, they will mostly likely skip tomorrow's visit to Philly as a precaution, coach Tom Renney said a few minutes ago.

This certainly scrambles Renney's plans to set his top two lines and give them some work in games before Thursday's opener.

That's a little troublesome, no?

Anyway, Scott Gomez is expected to center for Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes....

Meanwhile, the chances of a continuation of the fight-filled foolishness of Monday night have been diminished. Goaltender Rick DiPietro, forward Mike Comrie and defensemen Andy Sutton and Brendan Witt are among those who won't play, as the Isles are going with a younger lineup.

Islanders coach Ted Nolan won't be here either due to a death in the family...

Colin Campbell, the NHL's executive vice-president and czar of discipline, has suspended the Flyers' Steve Downie for 20 games for his vicious hit on Senators forward Dean McAmmond in Thursday's exhibition game. If Downie is cut, he will have to serve the suspension when he returns to the NHL.

The 20 games is the fifth longest suspension by the league. Chris Simon holds the longest at 25 games for his two-handed stick to the jaw of Ryan Hollweg last March.

Downie, who received a match penalty, skated almost the length of the ice before leaping into an unsuspecting McAmmond. He said the high blow was unintentional and apologized afterward to McAmmond, who suffered a concussion.

In my opinion, the NHL is sending a strong message on shots to the head: Don't do it.

Your thoughts? Too long? Too short? Just right?

A sore hip flexor will keep Jaromir Jagr---who just skated lightly this morning--- out of tonight's game with the Islanders.

"We weren't expecting it, but he's been doing a lot of extra work and maybe he overdid it," said coach Tom Renney.

Asked whether he thought it would affect Jagr's preparation for the season, Renney said: "He doesn't think it's a setback at all...I'm thinking he'll play tomorrow night. If not, we'll start the season with what we need to."

Sean Avery, who didn't practice this morning, also will rest his tweaked groin/right leg.

Artem Anisimov, Thomas Pock and Paul Mara are healthy scratches.

Renney indicated that he might not make final cuts until Oct. 3, the day before the Rangers open at home against the Panthers.

Lundqvist will start and presumably play the entire game against the Islanders, and sit against the Flyers in Philly on Saturday in the final exhibition game.

"I thought he had a terrific practice today," Renney said.

As for the d-pairs, Marc Staal was with Thomas Pock, Malik with Rozsival, Tyutin with Girardi and Mara with Strudwick. Unclear who won't dress tomorrow.

After practice, where many of the drills were at even-strength, Renney said:
"From a fitness perspective, we're ready. I think we've got to be a better systems team."

After spending most of camp skating on a line with C Scott Gomez, for the second day in a row Jaromir Jagr practiced with Chris Drury and Martin Straka in what appeared to be a preview of the lineup for tomorrow's tilt against the Islanders at the Garden.

Gomez was between Brendan Shanahan and Sean Avery, although Avery's nagging right groin/leg tweak makes him a game-day decision tomorrow, said coach Tom Renney.

"He doesn't need to (play), and maybe he shouldn't," said Renney.

Renney planned to solicit feedback from all six players about the pluses and minuses of the line combinations later today. "Instincts and just how they read off each other," he said.

But Renney noted that there was already "some momentum" with Gomez on the first line and Drury on the second. "We invested some time in that already," including with off-ice video work.

The three other lines were:

Nigel Dawes-Artem Anisimov-Colton Orr
Marcel Hossa-Brandon Dubinsky-Ryan Hollweg
Petr Prucha-Blair Betts-Ryan Callahan

It seems logical that the last line above won't dress for the Islanders, although Callahan or Prucha could slide in if Avery is a scratch.

For Laurie:

Jagr seemed to think the whole team was not in synch---I just haven't transcribed the entire tape---and Lundqvist blamed himself for some of the goals....

The Rangers re-assigned six players yesterday and released center Mark Smith, who came to camp as a tryout, as the Kodak snapshot of who will make the team came into clearer focus.

Forwards Lauri Korpikoski, Dane Byers and Francois Lessard, defensemen Mike Sauer
and Andrew Hutchinson and goalie Miika Wiikman were sent to AHL Hartford.

Hutchinson, acquired from Carolina in the Matt Cullen trade in the offseason, has until noon tomorrow to clear waivers.

Remaining are 26 players: three goaltenders, 15 forwards, (including Brandon Dubinsky, Nigel Dawes and Artem Anisimov) and eight defensemen, including Mark Staal and Thomas Pock.

From our vantage point, it seems that Staal and Dubinsky have spots on the roster and Anisimov and Montoya will go to the Wolf Pack, purely because of salary considerations. The question is whether Pock or Dawes sticks as a 23rd man.

Pock, on a two-year deal, would have to be waived, and the Rangers could lose him. Dawes could be re-assigned and the Rangers start the year with 22.

****

Jagr and Lundqvist, who played in the 6-1 loss to the Wings in Detroit last night, stayed an extra half hour on the ice after the 75-minute practice.

Very unusual, especially after a night game and travel.

"I need to work on my game," Jagr said as he stepped off. "We were embarrassed. I don't like that....They had a full lineup, everybody was quicker, more organized. I'm happy we played. We needed that kind of game."

Lundqvist was relieved by Montoya at the halfway point, down 4-0.

"We were scrambling around," he said. "We had some young guys in and they (the Wings) were more together."

To clarify, a rule is a rule.

It should stand for all players suspended. Doesn't matter if it's Simon, Hollweg, Lundqvist, Messier or Gretzky. I don't care.

Simon's case just raises the question.

Just one of the quirks of the league, which has its blind spots.

Like not working out a deal for games to be televised on ESPN2.

You're gonna get both here, as well as some things I find amusing and annoying.
Sorry, that's the mission.

Love the passion. Remember, Greg and I have an unusual situation here:

We're the only paper in the New York metro area covering both the Isles and Rangers full-time and the crossover readership/fan base spills onto the blogs from local and far-flung locales.

But you probably know all that.

Again, we appreciate the readers and expect some give-and-take.

Just keep it above board. We're big boys and we can handle some shots, as long as they're presented with some sense of class and not from the sludge at the bottom of the genetic pool.

Deep breaths.

The season hasn't even begun...

UPDATE: 6-1 final, Gomez PP goal. Montoya played second half of game.

Wings showin' no mercy...

A friend had predicted 7-1 this afternoon.

Sounded about right.

More cuts coming in next day or so...

Just checked, Wings scored in first minute, halfway thru first 1-0

Straka-Gomez-Jagr
Hossa-Dubinsky-Prucha
Dawes-Anisimov-Korpikoski
Hollweg-Smith-Orr

Malik-Hutchinson
Tyutin-Girardi
Mara-Sauer

Lundqvist

Tequila sunset, Tijuana sunrise
Let's put the light back in each other's eyes
And maybe tomorrow if the wheels can roll
We can take the road down south, babe
Get to Mexico...
----Ralph McTell

1. The white rear flap that makes the Rangers blue home jerseys seem as if the players are skating with their undershirts hanging out, is almost bearable on the white (away) jerseys.
The whole new uni thing is annoying, though.
The glued on "A"s used for rotating alternates in the pre-season don't stick. Equipment folks say the sweaters---or stretchies---are impossible to dry. The tie-downs in the back rip away when pulled, allowing fighters to pull the material over an opponent's head easier. Players appear smaller. The socks (at least the practice ones) look inside-out.

2. Always liked how Cubs fans at Wrigley Field threw opponents' homers back into the outfield.
Rangers fans echoed that on Monday.
When the ice girls fired bundled-up t-shirts into the mostly-empty stands in Uniondale between periods, at least two were thrown back.

3. Look for my 2-page NHL season preview in Sunday's paper and presumably online, as well as a Rangers preview.
Sneak peek: Colorado will make the playoffs. In the East, Tampa and Atlanta won't.

Not that there aren't enough silly things about the NHL with which to quibble---don't get me started on the new uniform designs---this one is serious:

How is a suspended player allowed to skate in pre-season games?

The Islanders' Chris Simon, still with a handful of regular-season games to go on his 25-game ban for a two-handed blow to Ryan Hollweg's jaw last March 8, has dressed for several exhibition games, the most recent of which---on Monday---resulted in 161 minutes in penalties between the Isles and Rangers.

Not that Simon was always the instigator. I understand that Simon is eligible to practice with the team, but to skate with impunity? With no fear or being suspended again despite a game misconduct?

Can anyone in the NHL HQs in New York and Toronto spell "LOOPHOLE"?

Ridiculous.

Suspended should mean suspended. For all games, even if only the regular-season and playoff matches count toward satisfying the sanction..

Although a sore right leg kept him out of the 161-minutes-in-penalties nastiness between the Rangers and Islanders on Monday night, Sean Avery expects to be in the lineup Friday night for the rematch.
"I didn't expect it (the fighting). It's an exhibition game." said Avery, who skated today with about ten other Rangers who weren't on the flight to Detroit to face the Red Wings tonight. "But I wish I had played."
Why?
"For a very obvious reason, as obvious as reasons can get," he said.
Asked about his status for Friday's game in the Garden, Avery said, "Oh yeah, I'll be ready."
***

Among the other Rangers who practiced with assistant coach Mike Pelino in Westchester: Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, Blair Betts, Thomas Pock, Michal Rozsival, Jason Strudwick, Mark Staal, Francois Lessard (who could dress Friday if the coaches believe the fisticuffs will continue and need to be countered) and goaltenders Miika Wiikman and Steve Valiquette. Did not see Callahan or Byers around. They may be in Detroit.

***

Valiquette practiced with a small dressing on the self-inflicted, three-stitch wound in the palm of his left (glove) hand, which happened accidentally on Saturday morning when he was cutting a string on his old pads.
Yesterday, he was more concerned about being able to close his glove than catching a hard shot, and after handling a Shanahan shot, he said, "I'm sure I'll be able to play (either game this weekend)."
The injury is far less severe than one incurred when he was a 22-year-old and playing in Springfield.
He was about to be called up again by the Islanders, and after practice he was stepping out of the shower in the small, tight locker room when two teammates wrestling banged into a third, who bumped against a water cooler, lost his balance, and stepped on Valiquette's bare right foot, severing all the tendons near his toes.
"They weren't sure whether I would play again," he said.
Instead, Islanders general manager MIke Milbury called up another goalie.
His name: Rick DiPietro.

***

Darius Kasparaitis and David Liffiton cleared waivers; Liffiton practiced with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Kaspar was said to be on his way.

It appears, as surmised this morning, that Darius Kasparaitis was sent to Hartford, effectively ending his Rangers career.
And according to the Isles lineup, Chris Simon will play.
His suspension is for regular-season and playoff games.
More TK

Yep, I'm plannng to porvide updates during the game, but I'm told there's a webcast on Islanders TV, available on newyorkislanders.com.

Test it out and let me know how it looks.

For those in the NYC area, the radio broadcast is on Bloomberg 1130 AM, but I believe the signal isn't that strong. There may be some streaming of that as well, but don't have time right now to check.

And thanks, I deleted the duplicate Dubinsky...

Sean Avery won't be on the ice irritating the Islanders tonight.

Avery has "a tweak of a body part," Rangers coach Tom Renney said today, and won't make the trip to Detroit for tomorrow night's game. Avery did skate and is being held out as a precaution, the coach said.

Goaltender Steve Valiquette accidentally cut his hand yesterday, and so, Al Montoya will start tonight, and is expected to play the entire game, with Miika Wiikman, who has not seen a minute of playing time yet, as the backup. Henrik Lundqvist will play in Detroit, with Montoya as the backup.

The above comes courtesy of today's unsuspecting pool reporter, Sam Weinman of the Journal News, by the way. I was delayed by family duties and late for practice; Sam filled me in when I got there.

But I'll be at the Coliseum to see what shakes out tonight. Ryan Hollweg is in the lineup, and if Chris Simon dresses for the Islanders, it will be their first time together on the ice since Simon's suspension for the high-stick on Hollweg's throat last season.

Reading the tea leaves, here's some other intriguing signs. See below for what the opening night roster might be...

Darius Kasparaitis and Francois Lessard aren't on the roster for either game, indicated that both may already have been reassigned to Hartford. Stay tuned. Wiikiman will be there soon.

Martin Straka skated with Gomez and Jagr. That could be the opening night line, which would be fine with me. Jagr with two unfamiliar linemates might be problematic, so Straka makes sense.

The expected lines and d-pairs for tonight:

Dawes-Dubinsky-Korpikoski
Hossa-Drury-Shanahan
Byers-Anisimov-Callahan
Hollweg-Betts-Orr

Malik-Rozsival
Strudwick-Pock
Hutchinson-Staal

For tomorrow in Detroit:

Lundqvist (expected to play the entire game), Montoya
Jagr, Gomez, Straka, Dubinsky (who seems like a good bet to make the team) Prucha, Hossa, Orr, Hollweg, Dawes, Anisimov, Korpikoski, Smith

Tyutin, Malik, Hutchinson, Girardi, Sauer and another defenseman.
I'm thinking Staal has a very good chance to make the club out of the gate as well
.
But that's it. The Rangers could start the season with 22 players, not 23 on the roster. Only two youngsters: Dubinsky and Staal.

Barring injuries, I'm specualting: Jagr, Gomez, Straka, Drury, Avery, Shanahan, Callahan, Dubinsky, Prucha, Betts, Hossa, Hollweg, Orr

On D, Malik, Rozsival, Tyutin, Girardi, Mara, Staal, Strudwick

G: Lundqvst. The only place I'm wavering is at backup goaltender, where if Valiquette still isn't ready, the King's backup possibly would be Montoya, unless the cap fit won't work. I'm guessing Valiquette will be ready.

More later...

Note: No Shanny, Drury, Callahan, Betts, Byers in Detroit

After last night's 5-0 loss to the Flyers, Hugh Jessiman, Ivan Baranka and David Liffiton were assigned to Hartford.

Not surprising.

Here's what I wrote last night that was trimmed from my story for space and never made today's editions:

Defenseman Ivan Baranka struggled and was victimized. Hugh Jessiman couldn't stay on his feet. Michael Rozsival seemed to miss defensive partner Marek Malik, who didn't dress, but is expected to play the next two games.
The best chance on Flyers goaltender Martin Biron was Drury's corner feed to Petr Prucha, whose rising shot was tipped by Biron's glove and off the crossbar soon after the start of the second period. Antero Niiitymaki replaced Biron after the second period and completed the shutout with a combined 33 saves.
There were two scraps. After being goaded by Flyers goon Jesse Boulerice, Colton Orr decked him with a short right with 12:15 left in the first. Jessiman and Steve Downie spun each other around five times, missing punches, before Downie tagged Jessiman...Lundqvist gloved Kapanen's backhand on a penalty shot with 11:22 left in the first, but Kapanen later scored shorthanded. Mike Knuble (two), Downie, and Mike Richards were the other scorers. Simon Gagne had three assists... The Rangers (1-1) have today off before facing the Islanders at the Coliseum Monday night.

Just kidding about Fritz (sent down) of course, wondering if everyone's awake.

C Blair Betts, who caused a turnover and scored against the Devs, is also in the lineup again tonight.

Nothing wrong with Malik, according to a Rangers spokesman, just not dressed.

Scott Gomez hadn't appeared by 5:25 and there was some joking that he was thinking it was a 7:30 start, as per the Devils.

When Gomez arrived, he had an excuse.

"It's an autograph session out there," he said, explaining the delay.

True. When I arrived, around 4:25, there were at least 40 people on the street waiting for players to show up.

News from 33rd Street...

D Marek Malik is not dressing, we'll find out why when speaking to the coach later.

LW Dane Byers, who hammered in the opening goal on Friday night against the Devils, is in, as is RW Hugh Jessiman, for the second consecutive game. C Mark Smith is also on the game roster again. So the Mitch Fritz era will have to wait...

Henrik Lundqvist and Miika Wiikman will split time in the net...

More later...

With plans for a new Madison Square Garden in limbo, the current arena has some major upgrades.

There's a new overhead scoreboard with LCD screens and long video boards on the facade at each end of the arena. Supposed to provide very sharp, detailed images.

At about 5 p.m. Hugh Jessiman sat alone on the bench, taking in the view.

The John Condon pressroom also has been refurbished---new carpet, paint, etc.---and a wall of photographs to honor the former Garden game announcer, executive and boxing promoter should be completed next week.

Thought yesterday's dispatch from West Point story was on newsday.com, but apparently somebody ---or those tech grinches---dropped the ball.

Should be up soon.

Here's the link: http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/sports/ny-sprang215384207sep21,0,3043228.story.

Also, we'll try to link every daily Rangers story to the blog for easier access in the future.

Anyway, notes from the morning skate:

Defenseman Marc Staal will play tonight against the Devils because Fedor Tyutin has the flu...The lines will remain the same as reported here yesterday; the d-pairs will be Girardi-Sauer, Kasparaitis-Hutchinson, Strudwick-Staal...Al Montoya is expected to play the first half of the game; Steve Valiquette the second...

***
Asked if he was concerned that some players on the Rangers' first two opponents (Devils, Flyers) have already shown a tendency to quickly drop the gloves, coach Tom Renney said: "I'd rather play hockey, but if that's the approach...we'll prepare ourselves. We've got enough jam out there."
That was one reason he held off on starting former Dev Scott Gomez tonight. "I figured eight (regular-season games) was enough," and noted that many of the Devils regulars wouldn't be dressing either.

***
On a related topic, Renney said he'll be speaking to other coaches to determine the effects of the new stretchy, form-fitting Reebok jerseys when players get into fights. The Devils' Cam Janssens will need surgery on his dislocated right shoulder after a second brawl with Philly's Jesse Boulerice the other night.
Not only does the snug fit jersey prevent a combatant from holding on---as the blousy ones did---there may be a problem with the tie-down on the inside back that stopped a jersey from being pulled over an opponent's head. The ties---or the material---may be ripping, and Renney said he was concerned about some players being more defenseless against more experienced scrappers.
***
Because he'd like to create offense from three lines, Renney will experiment with different combinations, "probably continue through the last two preseason games (next weekend) and perhaps into the season---although you'd rather not do that," he said.

***
Assistant coaches Perry Pearn and Mike Pelino will run the bench tonight and tomorrow, while Renney observes from above. "I may get down there for one (period) each night," he said.

I'll check in later from the Garden...

For players' takes on the West Point adventures, see my piece on newsday,com...

It's on to the Garden for the pre-season opener tomorrah... I'll update during the evening from there....

Weekes played two periods last night, his second straight start, so it seems logical that Brodeur will play at least some of the game on Friday.

The Rangers trimmed the roster to 37 prior to tomorrow's exhibition opener with the Devils.

D Bobby Sanguinetti is off to OHL Brampton and forward Tom Pyatt to Hartford.

Neither were scheduled to play in tomorrow's game at MSG, but were listed as possibles for Saturday's game against the Flyers.

So, a couple players will probably skate in back-to-back games.

There are still seven defensemen who skated with the unit in West Point that is supposed to comprise the squad for Saturday.

One option: D Thomas Pock could move up to a fourth line and Lessard and Hollweg could be inserted (Orr already pencilled in) to help counter any Philly aggression.

The Rangers' top free-agent acquisitions, center Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, won't play in the pre-season opener tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden. Instead, they will debut on Saturday against the Flyers at MSG.

"No big deal, I've seen enough of those guys," Gomez said of his former team while signing some autographs for fans after practice at West Point Military Academy this morning. Gomez will be between Jagr and Nigel Dawes, a line that skated together again yesterday.

Rangers coach Tom Renney divided the team into two squads of vets and prospects, with some intriguing line combinations
.
Here's the lineup for tomorrow's game, which practiced together in the first session at Tate Rink, which seats about 2,700, but was largely empty:

Avery-Anisimov-Shanahan
Straka-Dubinsky-Callahan
Hollweg-Betts-Lessard
Byers-Smith-Jessiman

Defense:
Tyutin-Girardi
Strudwick-Sauer
Kasparaitis-Hutchinson

Goal: Valiquette, Montoya

This second group, plus at least one player from above, will play against Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Dawes-Gomez-Jagr
Hossa-Drury-Prucha
Korpikoski-Pyatt-Orr

Defense:
Baranka-Mara
Malik-Sanguinetti
Staal-Rozsival
Pock-Liffiton

Goal: Lundqvist, Wiikman

More on the West Point activities coming up....

So, there I was, returning from an appointment in Manhattan on Metro-North this afternoon, sipping iced coffee, watching the Hudson flow and listening to pianist Paul Hanmer's "Trains to Taung" and Andile Yenana's "We Used to Dance"---which I picked up on a short trip to South Africa this summer.

Had a thought, pulled out a pen and decided to crunch some numbers.

We know the Rangers roster won't change all that much from the team that skated against the Sabres in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But compared to last season's opening-night roster against the Capitals, almost half the roster will have changed---for the better, we're assuming.

And the numbers show that the changes alone significantly bring down the team's overall age.

By how much?

You may be surprised.

Here's last year's Opening Night lines and roster against the Caps:

Straka-Nylander-Jagr
Prucha-Cullen-Shanny
Dawes-Betts-Hall
Hossa-Hollweg-JWard

Tyutin-AWard
Malik-Rozsival
Racunek-Pock

Lundqvist
Weekes

Kasparaitis, Orr---Scratches

Also, there were:
Ozolinsh---Rehab program
Ortmeyer---IR

Now, taking some liberties with the lines and D pairings, here's how this season's Opening Night roster is shaping up:

Hossa-Gomez-Jagr
Avery-Drury-Shanahan
Prucha-Callahan-Straka
Hollweg-Betts-Orr

Tyutin-Girardi
Malik-Rozsival
Mara-Hutchinson

Lundqvist
Valiquette

Dawes/forward TBA, Strudwick---Scratches

OK, players gone from last October's opener: Nylander (34), Kasparaitis, presumably (34), Ozolinsh (34), AWard (33), Weekes (31), Cullen (a month from 30), Ward (27), Rachunek (27), Hall (26)

In: Strudwick (32), Drury (31), Valiquette (30) Mara (29), Gomez (27), Avery (27), Hutchinson (27), Girardi (23), Callahan (22).

Swapping just those guys (OK, Ozolinsh wouldn't play for two weeks, but then was in 21 games before being waived) the total age for those nine players has dropped 24 years from 272 to 248, or an average of almost three full years.

Now, if Pock (25) or Dawes (22) makes the cut again, they're a wash.

However, if Staal, 20, or perhaps Dubinsky, 21, makes the team, the average age falls even more.

But there you have it, a rough sketch, an exercise on the rails.

About half the roster is an average of almost THREE years younger.

I set the numbers aside; got up as the train slowed down, nearing my station.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I ventured over to the Tarrytown Music Hall, a lovely restored venue, to hear the former leader of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn, play a solo set that included Dylan's classic "My Back Pages", with the familiar chorus, "But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

Seems somehow appropriate for the Rangers.

Folks:

Had some business in downtown Manhattan this morning, so I couldn't make it to today's early practices.

But I will be in West Point for the skate bright and early tomorrow morning. Should be a serene drive up the leafy Palisades. Check here for a full report....

Belated best wishes to Stan Fischler, Brian Leetch, John Halligan and Cammi Granato
for winning the 2007 Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S.

Stan, hope you've got some new jokes for me next time I see ya...