The Rangers Tribune

Prospal and Gaborik Reunited, Cuts Postponed, More from Practice

Just as I have been calling for, head coach John Tortorella reunited forwards Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik in today's practice, according to Jesse Spector of the Daily News. Gaborik and Alexander Frolov are sure to stay together, but who will skate between them has yet to be determined. Rookie Derek Stepan has been tried there, as has Erik Christensen. Now Prospal, who will play his first preseason game since injury tomorrow, will get his shot, just as he did last season when he clicked with Marian on that first line.

Although Prospal may not be the best option for that spot, he should at least be given a chance. That chance will likely come tomorrow night when the Rangers take on the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Considering Vinny is very skilled when it comes to distributing the puck in the offensive zone, I just feel that he will fit nicely between those two since both are natural scorers.

Spector also reports the offensive lines today from practice, which are probably what we will see tomorrow night:

Gaborik - Prospal - Frolov
Avery - Stepan - Fedotenko
Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan
Boogaard - Boyle - Prust

I think this is very close to what head coach John Tortorella's ultimate offense will look like for the upcoming season. The Avery -Stepan - Fedotenko line was creating scoring chances left and right in Wednesday's contest against the Red Wings, with all three players skating extremely well. Torts was quick to praise that trio, so I would expect for them to stick together for a while.

I also thought Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan showed some chemistry, so smart thinking by the coach to keep them together. Adding Dubinsky to that line will only increase the physicality and overall effort. They should be very exciting to watch.

As you can see, certain players are starting to gel with others. This was not the case in the preseason last year, which resulted in many swaps made on the offense right off the bat. This time around there seems to be some chemistry forming and Tortorella is honoring that. Obviously these will not be the lines for the entire year, but they should at least resemble what you see above for the beginning of the season.

Steve Zipay states that the Blueshirts will wait until Sunday to make their third round of cuts, which were supposed to be made today. After talking the matter over with Glen Sather and Jim Schoenfeld, Torts decided to let it wait another few days. Actually, I think John was fully prepared to make more cuts today, but it is Sather that wants them to be postponed. Can't argue with the boss.....

Lastly, Mark Messier was on the ice today in practice to give faceoff pointers to all of the squad's centers. That is an area where the Rangers have been quite weak throughout the preseason, and is also an area of the game that I think is overlooked. I am glad that the coaching staff has noticed the trend and has decided to fix it. After all, Messier was one of the best in the faceoff circle in his day.

For Frolov, the Pressure's On

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Recently, Wes Goldstein of CBS Sports looked at some of the players around the National Hockey League that will face added pressure to produce this season. On that list was Rangers' forward Alexander Frolov, who was acquired this past summer via free agency. Here is what Goldstein had to say about the Russian winger.....

He's 28, which means he's in the prime of his career, and Frolov has scored 30 goals twice for Los Angeles and more than 20 three other times. Still, the Kings didn't think he was worth re-signing. Apparently a lot of teams agreed and Frolov lingered on the open market until late July, when the offense-starved Rangers signed him to a one-year deal. Frolov is a talented player but he doesn't always show up and the Kings got tired of his act. New York is desperate so Frolov will get plenty of chances to strut his stuff. If he doesn't, the NHL part of his career could be over.

So far so good from Alex Frolov in the preseason. Goldstein makes some good points in saying that Alex does not always show up and he is not consistent either. However, playing opposite Marian Gaborik on the first line opens all new doors for opportunity and to this point, Frolov has been one of the better forwards in training camp.

A common knock against him is his lack of effort defensively. I have to be honest here, I have not noticed it yet. Maybe coach Tortorella gave him an ultimatum along the lines of "play defense or sit", and he is responding. Whatever the case may be, he has been back-checking like an animal since the opening of camp. In Sunday's game in Detroit alone he broke up at least two or three players by getting back to help on D quicker than the rest of the forwards.

As far as pressure goes, though, there is a ton of it on the 28-year-old like this article suggests. Playing on the first line with Gaborik is only going to add to that pressure because now he has no excuse if he falls into a scoring drought, and also he will be looked upon by the fans as one of the players that should be carrying this team offensively. Realize that playing on the number one line comes with great responsibility. Not all players like it just based on the additional pressure that is on them, but Frolov will look at this as a chance to prove his critics wrong.

Hit  up the site later for our pregame notes of tonight's preseason match-up between the Rangers and Red Wings....

Pregame Notes: Red Wings at Rangers, 9/29/10

 

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The New York Rangers begin the second half of their preseason schedule tonight, when they take on the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. For the Blueshirts, this particular contest means a lot to their future in that it will give us an idea as to how the team will look on opening night. Head coach John Tortorella is chomping at the bit to trim the roster down to how he wants it for the season, but in order to do so he needs to see a few more games from certain players. Those players - I think we all know who they are by know - will look at tonight's tilt as a final opportunity to make a case for themselves, and possibly their career.

Rangers Roster: (Updated at 2:53p.m.)

Frolov - Christensen - Gaborik
Kennedy - Anisimov - Cally
Fedotenko - Stepan - Avery
Boogaard - White - Prust

Staal - Sauer
Rozsival - Del Zotto
Gilroy - Valentenko

Lundqvist
Biron

Obviously there has been some changes made all throughout the lineup for this game. But before I get into that, let me just clarify that the defensive pairings listed above are not set in stone as of yet. All we know right now is that both Pavel Valentenko and Mike Sauer will dress so the coaching staff gets another look at them. Besides that, I am taking a guess on the remainder of the blue-line, but if it is changed in any way, I will update this post for sure.

Notice on offense that Erik Christensen will be between Marian Gaborik and Alexander Frolov on the first line. Derek Stepan, who was previously there, has been dropped to the third line with Fedotenko and Avery. I question the coach's logic behind that because I thought Stepan was playing quite well with Gabs and Alex. This may just be a trial run to see if Christensen will fit with them, but the coach did not confirm.

I am curious to see how Artem Anisimov plays with Ryan Callahan. Callahan will be on the second line for the entire season, most likely, so if Anisimov can gel with him he may find himself already higher in the lineup than he was last year. The second line is supposedly where the Rangers want him centering this season, according to some sources.

Todd White is walking a thin line and he knows it. Another unimpressive performance this evening and he will be cut for sure. Since he is set to skate on the fourth line, I do not see much he can do to take the spotlight. I mean, it is not like he is physical or anything so what can he do with Prust and Boogaard? Nice knowin' ya, Todd.....

Tim Kennedy is another individual hanging on for dear life. The youngster is getting an opportunity on the second line tonight that he better take advantage of. If he passes that opportunity up Torts will not want him on this club, that's for sure.

Scouting the Red Wings:

The Red Wings are expected to go with their full lineup yet again just as they did on Sunday. Jimmy Howard will again start in goal, and he played extremely well when the two teams met up last. No signs of that kid potentially suffering from the sophomore curse.

The Wings had tremendous puck movement in Sunday's game and that is how they generated all of their scoring chances. The Blueshirts, as a result, cannot give them time to set up in the offensive zone. You saw how quickly they move a puck from behind the net to in it. They are probably the best puck moving team in the NHL, so these young defensemen on the Rangers looking to impress the coaches should do so by shutting down passing lanes and continually pressuring the puck carrier.

Opponent Blog: Detroit Red Wings Hockey Blog

Projected Goaltender Match-Up: Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) vs Jimmy Howard (DET)

Postgame: Crucial Performances Lead Rangers Past Wings, 5-1

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The Rangers improved to 3-1-0 in the preseason with tonight's 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. Even though the Wings did not have some of their big guns in the lineup, this should still be looked at as a very hopeful sign for the Blueshirts. This was their most complete win and they did in a dominant fashion against a very skilled hockey club. More importantly, there were some major individual performances, especially from the players that are unsure if they will survive the final cuts or not.

The Rangers got things kick started early in this game when Marian Gaborik scored on the powerplay exactly one minute into the first period. You have to give Michal Rozsival credit on the play for drawing the Wings’ entire defense towards him, opening a lane for Gaborik to take the shot. About three minutes later Sean Avery received a pass from Ruslan Fedotenko, which he threw on net from a sharp angle and happened to score. A big message from head coach John Tortorella this season is to shoot from anywhere and everywhere. Avery did it there and obviously it paid off.

Defenseman Mike Sauer also scored in the period when his wrister from the point banked off the post and in behind Howard, giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead over the Wings heading into the intermission. That was probably the best single period New York has played throughout the entire preseason, not only offensively, but defensively as well.

The second stanza, however, fell in favor of the Wings as their top guys tried to regain control of the tempo. Henrik Lundqvist stood strong, though, only allowing a single goal to Brian Rafalski, which was deflected by the stick of Michal Rozsival in front. The Wings held the lead in shots in that period, 14-9, but were unable to convert due to the outstanding netminding from Hank.

The Blueshirts widened the gap in the third, scoring two more goals and keeping the Wings from gaining on their lead. Derek Stepan had one of those goals, as he slammed a kick-pass from Fedotenko to the back of the net. You could tell Derek was amped up at that point based on his enthused double fist pump. It was the perfect thing for him to finish off an impressive performance.

The prettiest goal of the game, to me anyway, was Michael Del Zotto’s. Michael and Alexander Frolov started a give-and-go in the neutral zone, which eventually ended up with Frolov feeding DZ with a cross-ice pass for the one-timer at the top of the circles. Plays like that normally are not easy to pull off, which is why you do not see them too often. But this particular one was executed perfectly and surely brought a smile to coach Tortorella’s face.

There is a whole list of individuals that played well tonight, so I am going to quickly run through the main ones that stood out to me. First up is rookie center Derek Stepan. Stepan was moved around the lineup a bit tonight, but primarily skated with Sean Avery and Fedotenko. Regardless of which line he was on, Derek showed some eye-opening individual efforts throughout the tilt. He is very creative when it comes to cutting from the outside to the slot and maintaining control of the puck. That is a hard skill to master but Stepan, showing confidence, pulled it off several times. In my eyes, he has made the team, and that would hold true if he scored that goal in the third or not.

Ruslan Fedotenko also had a great game. He is a player that was invited to training camp on a tryout basis and does not have a contract at the moment. He is a very smart passer, I have noticed, and his playmaking ability is what jumps out at me when I watch him play. Ruslan and Avery have apparently formed some chemistry with each other, so that could be a potential third line tandem for the season.

Speaking of Avery, he was on tonight. His confidence is booming right now, as you may have noticed based on the dekes he was whipping out. There was a shift in the first period where he juked a Red Wing in the neutral zone, came in and did a behind the back drop pass, and then later in the play put the puck through his legs as a self-pass to himself in the slot. Yes, that was Sean Avery out there, not Gaborik wearing his jersey. If Avery has the skill to pull off those moves I think he has been hiding a lot over the past few years. I think he is going to have a career year, personally.

Sticking with the forwards, I think the first line of Frolov – Christensen – Gaborik got better as the game progressed. At first they were misreading each other and looked sloppy. But by the third period their forecheck was in full swing and they were creating scoring chances left and right. All three skated strong and played some exciting hockey. We shall see if Tortorella elects to keep them together for Friday’s game against the Senators.

On defense, the two youngsters ran the show. Mike Sauer and Pavel Valentenko both played very well and are making a case to stay with the team. Tortorella is going to have a very tough decision to make between these two because, in my opinion, there is only room for one of them if either happens to make it. They both play very physical and are crease clearing defenseman. It is hard for me to pick one, but I might have to go with Valentenko.

Oh yeah, I will be a man and admit that Sauer proved me completely wrong in my earlier piece saying there is not room for him on the team. He played much better than I expected tonight. Good for him.

Matt Gilroy had another flashy night. By that I mean he was very noticeable out there on both ends of the rink. I love what this kid brings to the team, and I do not know if I am being biased because he grew up playing at the same hockey rink as me, but I really want him on this team. I do not know what you guys think, but to me he has done everything Torts has asked of him. No doubt in my mind Matt is in the lineup come opening night.

And last but not least, good ol’ Henrik Lundqvist. Hank returned to form in this game after hitting a rough patch on Saturday in New Jersey. A 35-save effort from the King helped the Blueshirts to victory, without a doubt, and we expect to see a lot more of that during the regular season. No word yet on if he will be playing Friday. I would think not.

Another round of cuts will be made tomorrow (Thursday) as the coaching staff works their way down to their regular season roster. I am going to predict that Todd White will be sent packing, because he has been invisible. He seems like a nice guy and all, but he has done absolutely nothing while with this team. The rest, really, is all up in the air.

The Battle for the Remaining Spots on D

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Assuming Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, and Michal Rozsival all have spots on the team, there are three slots currently open on the Rangers' blue-line if head coach John Tortorella chooses to carry along a seventh defenseman. Three slots open, but five players still remaining in camp after Monday's cuts that are contending for them. That puts the Blueshirts in a bit of a tough situation, and means Torts has some decisions to make over the next week. But who will fill those slots? What will the Rangers defensive corps comprise of this season? Let's take a look.

The five players that are fighting for the three spots are Matt Gilroy, Ryan McDonagh, Steve Eminger, Pavel Valentenko and Mike Sauer. Obviously the average age among these individuals is relatively young, with the oldest player being Eminger at age 26. That alone makes the competition even more closer than it already is, and below I shared my thoughts on each one of these guys and how I think they would contribute to the team if they made it.

I will start with Matt Gilroy because I am almost completely positive that he has won over the coaching staff throughout training camp and the preseason. He is playing with the battle level that was absent from his game last season, which ultimately led to him spending a portion of the year in the AHL. Coach Tortorella has praised the former Hobey Baker Award Winner over and over again over the course of the past month and to me that is a hint that Matt will be in the opening night roster in Buffalo.

Gilroy, for just a sophomore, shows a lot of patience with the puck and while playing defense in general as well. And once he has the puck, the kid can do wonders with it such as leading the rush and what not. All he needs is confidence right now, and I think that is slowly but surely building back up in him. He has talent, and I am not just saying that as a general statement. He has all-star caliber talent, we just have not seen it enough yet.

Ryan McDonagh has gotten stronger as training camp has progressed. His 6-1, 212 pound frame enables him to be a physical force out there, which is something the Rangers have not had in quite some time. They need somebody to clear the crease. They need somebody to intimidate the opposition's forwards so they fear to even go near the net. Ryan has that ability in addition to his fantastic all-around play and speed. He is the full package, basically, although he is not known for his offense. But again, if he can play physical, that will end up being more important than offense considering the circumstances in which this team is in defensively.

McDonagh needs to come out and really show off in the next preseason game or two. He needs to do something that will drop Tortorella's jaw to the ground and give him a reason why he would be so valuable to the club. That should be his objective because although he has played well, he is not locked in for a spot just yet.

McDonagh's main competition, surprisingly, will be in the form of Pavel Valentenko. Valentenko, age 22, has clearly impressed the coaching staff being that he survived the first two cuts. I think what may be attractive to them is his explosive shot from the point. We saw it on Sunday night in Detroit when he blasted one off the post. In addition to that, much like McDonagh, he is a physical defenseman. So physical that, in a way, he was the Sean Avery of the AHL in that he knew how to get under the skin of the opponent. And not only will he run his mouth, he is more than willing to back it up. That also may be grabbing the attention of the coaches.

Steve Eminger, acquired via trade from the Anaheim Ducks back in July, is the prime candidate for the seventh defenseman position at the moment. I think Tortorella likes the fact that he is a veteran presence on the blue-line and will guide the numerous youngsters throughout the year. Eminger cannot add a whole lot besides physicality to the team in my opinion. But as a seventh, he is just what the doctor ordered.

Mike Sauer does not have a place on this team. Maybe two years ago, but I do not really understand why he is still around. Alexei Semenov, who was cut yesterday, was performing better than Sauer in the preseason. He's shown Torts something, but he will not be kept around much longer if you ask me.

It all comes down to these next two preseason contests for all of these players. They may all be wearing the same jersey, but in reality they are enemies right now. They are fighting for a job on an NHL team. You better believe they will try to convert on every opportunity they have to one-up each other.

Rangers Announce Second Round of Cuts

The New York Rangers have announced their second batch of cuts this afternoon. After these, they are now left with 27 players on their training camp roster. Here are the cuts according to Andrew Gross.....

To Hartford:

G: Chad Johnson
D: Wade Redden
F: Dane Byers, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams, Mats Zuccarello

Released from tryouts:

D: Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov

Not surprised with these cuts to be honest. Some say Mats Zuccarello-Aasen should not have been cut, but to me he has not shown enough to stick around.

Redden Officially Reporting to Hartford

Despite having the option to talk to other teams or even go overseas to play hockey, recently waived defenseman Wade Redden has officially decided to spend the 2010-11 season in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack. This is coming from Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who spoke to Redden's agent, Don Meehan, via text message earlier today.

Originally reports were stating that Redden would consider his options and discuss the matter with other general managers around the league. Either he did not follow through with that plan or talks just did not go well. Then again, would you take on an underachieving defenseman at $6.5 million a year as a GM? I do not think so.

The Blueshirts are being widely criticized now for having a player making such a large sum of money playing in the minor leagues. Some feel that Glen Sather made the mistake so he should have to live with it. As far as I am concerned, the opinion of "others" does not matter at this point because they likely would have done the same thing under these circumstances. It was a move that needed to be made for the good of the team. Now let's please move on......

Pregame Notes: Rangers at Red Wings, 9/26/10

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The Rangers roll on in their preseason schedule tonight, coming off of back-to-back wins against the New Jersey Devils. Their opponent will be the Detroit Red Wings, who are currently 1-2-0 in the preseason, at Joe Louis Arena. The Blueshirts will enter this contest with a lot of energy after last night's emotional overtime victory at the Prudential Center and several players who were a part of that game will again be in the lineup tonight in Detroit. The hope is that the team will carry over the intensity from the previous two tilts and bring that with them to Hockey Town, where they will be facing a skilled Wings squad. I doubt the competition will be as 'in your face' as it was when playing a rival in the Devils, but if New York continues to play like they have been the past week, it should be fun to watch.

Rangers Roster:

Forwards: Gaborik, Frolov, Stepan, Dubi, Avery, Boyle, Zuccarello, Grachev, Prust, Anismov, Christensen, White

Defense: Valentenko, Girardi, Semenov, McDonagh, Sauer, Gilroy

Goaltending: Biron, Johnson

Martin Biron will get the start for the second time this preseason, his first being an outstanding performance against the Devils this past Thursday. Marty looked steady in net and was playing with confidence. He only allowed two goals get by him, both of which were unstoppable, and played two very solid periods for the Blueshirts. It is unclear whether or not Biron will play tonight's game in its entirety as Lundqvist did in Jersey, but that is what I would assume. If not, Chad Johnson will see some playing time before he is sent down to the Wolf Pack (AHL).

On defense, Semenov, Valentenko and Matt Gilroy will all get another look this evening after skating on Saturday at the Rock. Both Semenov and Gilroy were quite impressive and are on their way to capturing a spot on the roster. Gilroy is showing the battle level that coach Tortorella has called for, and Semenov is proving to be a great veteran presence on the blue-line.

Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer will continue to make their case, as neither wants to be assigned to the Wolf Pack just yet. Both are very strong and can play a physical game. That can work to their advantage because the Rangers, on defense, lack size and grit and can certainly use some more. If either of these two can bring that, the coaching staff will give them a longer look.

Sean Avery, Evgeny Grachev, Artem Anisimov and Todd White are among the forwards that will be playing back-to-back games this weekend. Sean Avery was all over the place last night, which is likely why he is in the lineup again. Tortorella still is not sure where Avery will fit in the lineup, so the more the league's favorite pest plays, the more opportunity Torts has to see what he's got.

Evgeny Grachev and Artem Anisimov will look to be a little more noticeable than they were last night. Sure Anisimov had a goal against the Devils, but he was quiet besides that. Grachev was even more silent, but like I said, I still have a feeling he will spend another year in the AHL before making the jump to the big leagues.

Look for the Frolov - Stepan - Gaborik trio to be re-united tonight in Detroit. They were moving the puck around really well on Thursday and are looking like they may be solidified as the first line for the upcoming season. Another impressive combined performance in this game may completely win the coaching staff over.

Erik Christensen and Todd White, on the other hand, have not been impressive at all. In fact, they have been invisible out there and with so much competition on offense, they cannot afford to not bring some flare to the lineup. Another disappointing game for these two can find their names listed in the next cuts.

Scouting the Red Wings:

As stated above, the Red Wings are 1-2-0 in the preseason so far.On Saturday they were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-2, when former Wing Marian Hossa dominated for Chicago. Chris Osgood was in goal for Detorit, which likely means we will see sophomore star Jimmy Howard tonight at Joe Louis Arena, who was very difficult to beat last season. What does this mean? A prime opportunity for the Ranger offense to show that no goaltender can slow them down.

Pavel Datsyuk, Nik Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Jiri Hudler and Tomas Holsmstrom among other regulars in the lineup for the Wings tonight. 

Opponent's Blog: Detroit Red Wings Hockey Blog

Projected Goaltender Match-Up: Jimmy Howard (DET) vs Martin Biron (NYR)

Postgame: Rangers Handed First Preseason Loss against Red Wings, 5-3

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The New York Rangers participated in their third preseason contest in four nights this evening in Detroit, and also suffered their first loss at the hands of the overpowering Red Wings. It seemed as if every little mistake the Rangers made ended up in their own net, which is common when you play a club like the Wings. But like every other tilt this past week, there are some positives to be taken out of it.

The Rangers got off to a slow start in the first period, while the Red Wings, meanwhile, came out full speed. Just two minutes into the game Detroit was already on the board. Martin Biron made a great save on a deflection, but Dan Cleary was all alone on the side of the net where he banged the home the rebound. Two minutes and ten seconds later Henrik Zetterberg was set up in the slot by a perfect pass from Tomas Holmstrom, and of course Zetterberg is not going to miss from there. Down 2-0, the Blueshirts needed to fight back and that is exactly what Sean Avery intended on doing. After being denied by Jimmy Howard on the breakaway, Sean received a pass from Todd White in front and managed to fight off a check and find the back of the net. 2-1 was the way we went into the first intermission.

The Red Wings found the back of the net early in the second period when Mike Sauer turned the puck over in his own zone, leading to Brian Rafalski's low wrister eluding Biron. But the Rangers answered with two goals of their own. First it was Mats Zuccarello-Assen causing a turnover in the offensive zone, which resulted in Erik Christensen absolutely ripping a shot over Howard's shoulder. Only 26 seconds later Alex Frolov came in 2-on-1 with Anisimov and fed Artem for the tap-in. Just like that we were all tied at three. Despite having a goal waived off and hitting several posts, Detroit was unable to strike again in the period. That due in part to the spectacular play of Marty Biron between the pipes.

In the third, Chad Johnson, who replaced Biron, allowed a very weak goal short-side to Tomas Holmstrom. And then with three minutes left in the period, Patrick Eaves scored to put a bow on it for Detroit. The Blueshirts did not play bad in the third, however, they just could not generate scoring chances.

I felt that Marty Biron had another very strong performance in goal tonight. He made some spectacular saves and at the end of the second period kept his team in it. In fact, throughout the entire preseason, Biron has been the Rangers' best goaltender to this point. Of course he will still be backing up Henrik Lundqvist during the regular season, but this is at least an indicator to coach Tortorella that he can have some trust in his back-up.

Derek Stepan continues to prove that he is a skilled two-way player. He can make things happen offensively, sure, but his defense is stellar as well. Tortorella loves that in a player and I could see Stepan's back-checking abilities as a one-way ticket to a roster spot. I expect him to have a few more opportunities to show what he's got in the preseason so I will be keeping an eye out for consistency in his game. Remember, he played collegiate hockey last year, which is only a 35-game season. So sometimes the adjustment to 82 can be difficult.

Ryan McDonagh was solid on defense as was Matt Gilroy. Both of these players are playing with a high battle level and are also incorporating some offense into their games. I like the confidence Gilroy is playing with, and you heard that in his intermission interview with MSG Network analyst Dave Maloney. That is the magic piece to the puzzle to bring Matt's game together, because he has a large amount of skill ready to be displayed.

Evgeny Grachev played a much better game tonight than Saturday against the Devils. I thought he was definitely more noticeable in the corners and in front of the net. Same goes for Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, whose speed is obviously his main strength. He was also the main reason for Erik Christensen's goal (another player who looked sharper). But neither of these two got on the scoresheet in either games they played in so that may hurt them when it comes time to make cuts.

And just to make note of it, Russians Alex Frolov and Artmen Anisimov were probably the Blueshirts's best forwards out there tonight. I am loving what I'm seeing from these two.

All in all, not a terrible effort by New York. Half the squad played less than 24 hours earlier and they were also going up against a Red Wings team that had most of their regulars in the lineup. The Rangers' will play their fourth preseason game on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, again facing Detroit.

Also, another round of cuts are expected to be made tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned for those as we will have them right here on the site when announced.

Headed to the Rock

The Rangers will play game two of the preseason this evening at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. They will again faceoff with the New Jersey Devils, who they defeated two nights ago in overtime at Madison Square Garden, but this time with a different lineup containing players from training camp group two. These include Henrik Lundqvist, Sean Avery, Ryan Callahan, Vinny Prospal, Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy, all who are expected to play in tonight's tilt.

I will be making the trip to Newark today for the game, which will be my very first time at "The Rock". I know that many of the site's readers live in the Jersey area, so hopefully some of you will be in attendance as well. I have gotten mixed reviews about the arena itself. Most say it is beautiful, but others have compared it to a football stadium and even a shopping mall. So I am not exactly sure what to expect, but am looking forward to the experience nonetheless.

Getting back to the team, all players who did not play in the first preseason game, and were not listed in yesterday's cuts, are expected to be in the lineup tonight. Head coach John Tortorella, after this contest, will have seen all of his players in game action and will consider his options from there. Additional cuts are expected to be made next week, so by then we should start to get a feel for what the regular season roster will look like. But for now, it is all about impressing.

Todd White, Evgeny Grachev and Dane Byers are the three main players I will be keeping an eye on against the Devils. All three of these individuals have the opportunity to earn a spot on the roster, but they need to give Tortorella a reason to keep them around. In my opinion, right now Todd White, acquired via trade from the Atlanta Thrashers, has the greatest chances of making the final cut. He is a veteran and can put the puck in the net when he wants to - just what the doctor ordered.

Grachev had a great Traverse City Tournament, but I feel the Rangers believe he still needs more time to develop. Grachev is a very skilled player and can become the next Malkin-type goal scorer in the National Hockey League. The Blueshirts do not want to rush it, though, because that would likely end up hurting him more than it would help him.

As for Byers, he played well when called up to the NHL last season. He knows how to use his body and does not shy away from any sort of physical confrontation. You may remember his antics in the game against the Vancouver Canucks last season when the team was involved in an on-ice brawl. Byers was one of the main instigators there and was right in the middle of it all. That is bold for a rookie.

For more on tonight's match-up, check back later for my pregame notes.