Avery Doubtful for Opener
Sean Avery skated for the second consecutive day but he was wearing a non-contact jersey again today. Avery is regarded as doubtful for Friday’s opener against the Penguins.
Brian Boyle or Aaron Voros will replace Avery in the lineup.
Rangers Top Line
The Rangers have done some tickering on their top two lines over the past week. The Penguins should expect to see plenty of Brandon Dubinsky centering new signees Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal.
19 year old defenseman to make NHL debut
Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto (19 years old) has been the surprise of Rangers camp and will make his NHL debut against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Del Zotto, 19, will become the youngest defenseman to play for the Rangers since Dave Maloney who was 18 years old when he made his Rangers debut.
Rangers add 7th defenseman
The Rangers came to terms with 28 year old defenseman Alexei Semenov on Wednesday. Semenov will start the season as the Rangers #7 defenseman.
Rangers buying into Tortorella’s system?
With a full training camp to implement his system, head coach John Tortorella has stressed speed and aggressiveness from his team.
The Rangers appeared to be a quicker team in the pre-season and were much more aggressive in the neutral zone. They have better personnel upfront to play Tortorella’s system but their personnel on defense remains a major question mark.