The Rangers used pucks for the first time in camp yesterday, and held two scrimmages during the day’s activities.
The first ended 3-2, with camp invitee Matt Maccarone scoring two goals and Matt Gilroy having a stand out game, while the second finished in a 1-1 tie. Gilroy has a good shot to lock down one of the two open defensive spots.
Several veterans have caught the eye of coach John Tortorella, but not for the right reasons. Christopher Higgins was one of those singled out by the coach for not pushing hard during skating drills. Higgins says that he’s not surprised by the criticism and says Tortorella comes as advertised.
Marian Gaborik was held out of both games, but did skate in the drills later in the day. At least one person isn’t too concerned about potential injury concerns, the player himself played down reading too much into reports of an early groin injury.
Brandon Dubinsky continues to holdout, and Larry Brooks writes he should simply wait his turn to cash in, pointing out parallels with Derek Jeter and Mariana Rivera of the Yankees.
The Ranges open their pre-season schedule tonight (7:00pm – MSG), hosting the Boston Bruins. 10 NHL veterans are required to be on the roster, and the Rangers will start with the following:
Forwards: Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Donald Brashear, Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Evgeny Grachev, Christopher Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, Matt Maccarone, P.A. Parenteau
Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Mike Sauer, Alexei Semenov, Marc Staal
CAR
PHI
PIT
WSH
CBJ
NYI