So the Rangers got slapped around at the beginning of last night's pre-season opener against the Islanders. Since the games don't count, I am not going to focus on the outcome (which was a 5-1 Islander win, for those of you who did not catch the game). I will give some observations on the team and the gameplay:

Game Pace: I was thrilled to see how fast the pace of the game was, especially in the first period. The Islanders came out flying, and the Rangers weren't far behind (except for goalie Kevin Weekes, which we will get to later). I think the new obstruction calls will truly open this game up the way it used to be. I think that conditioning was an issue, as the game slowed noticeably by the third period.

Penalties: There were 17 minors called in the game, and I have to admit that I did not have a problem with any of them. Most were interference type calls, such as hooking, holding, and tripping. The Rangers had two bench minors for having too many men on the ice, and an Islander took a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. Despite the zero-tolerance, there was still some good hitting going on.

The Ice: I love the new ice set up. The larger offensive zones allow defensemen to keep the puck in more often, thereby creating more offensive chances. The smaller space behind the goal lines forces players to move out in front of the net, which may produce more shooting opportunities. The elimination of the two-line pass rule made for a couple of breakaway chances for each team, though it wasn't a huge factor.

So far, I like most of what I saw with respect to the new game. I hope that the players adapt to the strict penalty calling, and that there aren't as many minors called once the regular season starts. But I think this is just an adjustment period.

Now, on to the Rangers:

Goaltending: Starter Kevin Weekes looked awful, letting in three high glove side goals early. He was beaten two other times, one hitting the post, and another time after a whistle had sounded. Conversely, Henrik Lundqvist came in and looked as though he has played 10 NHL season. He is poised and confident. I think we have a chance at having a great goaltender for many years to come.

Defense: Fedor Tyutin looked very good. He is also poised, and played a solid blueline throughout the game. Marc Staal, the 18 year-old rookie, looked great in the first period, but took four penalties and was beaten on deke moves a couple of times. He works hard, and with some experience may very well turn out to be an excellent player. Marek Malik and Tom Poti might as well be traffic cones. They both seemed flat-footed, and Malik just looked lazy. Same goes for Anders Ericksson, who took a penalty late in the game when Jason Blake went flying by him as if he weren't even there.

Offense: All I can say is - TOO MUCH PASSING. The power play was painful to watch, save for that great pass to Lundmark which resulted in a goal. Shoot the puck. Don't they know there are no style-points in this game? Lundmark looked alright. He was throwing the body around, but still has puck control issues. Prucha hustles, but seemed like he was expecting the Islanders to bite on his deke moves, and usually just lost the puck. Ortmeyer, who wore an "A" on his jersey, is 110% hustle. He throws his body around all over the place. The third and fourth lines played well in the second half of the game, but no one really stood out.

Overall: I was so happy just to see the players on the ice, I could care less what the result was. Besides, the Rangers didn't dress a lot of good players, while the Islanders had most of their starting lineup out there. Players like Rucchin, Kaspar, Rozsival, Balej, Immonen, Pöck, and Dawes were not in the lineup, and would probably have made a difference in the team's performance. This was just a preview.

I will say this though.....perhaps this was NOT the year to cut back on pre-season games. Renney had received some praise for cutting back the schedule of games that do not count, in favor of developing the team at practice. However, it looks as though game conditioning will be at a premium, not to mention adapting to the no-tolerance officiating. Maybe this was the year the Rangers needed to play as many games as possible.

On to the news:

NY Daily News: Dellapina covers last night's game, and points out that the Rangers did not appoint a captain.

The Star Ledger: The Rangers were happy to be back on the ice, but know that they have a lot of work to do.

The Journal News: Ryan Hollwig is trying to make an impression in the new, fast paced NHL game.

The Rodent makes some observations about the game, and has a guest commentary from our friend MHurley, who was in attendance at the Coliseum.

I usually won't give as much commentary as I did today. But I had looked forward to this for a long time, and was too enthusiastic to not write something. When the regular season comes, I will leave it to the pros.

HDH

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