NHL Preseason: News, Notes and Line Combinations from Day 3 of Rangers Camp

Today the New York Rangers entered their third day of training camp and it was full of pucks, pucks and more pucks. Today the Rangers got a chance to pair up with linemates, they worked on some drills and even participated in a few scrimmages. 

The first scrimmage of the day featured Team Green vs. Team Red.

Here is the lineup for each team.

"Red Team"

Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards, Wojtek Wolski, Michael Del Zotto and Steve Eminger. Chad Johnson and Jason Missiaen split the goaltending duties.

"Green Team" 

Sean Avery, Artem Anisimov, Mats Zuccarello, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal (late scratch) and Mike Rupp. Marty Biron started in goal.

Here is a summary of the action from the game courtesy of Jesse Spector.

 "Wolski scored two goals and Gaborik scored one as Red defeated Green 4-2. Weise had the other Red goal, while John Mitchel, the trade-deadline acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, scored both of Green's goals."

Marc Staal was a late scratch from the scrimmage as a precaution. John Tortorella commented that Staal will miss all the scrimmages and the North America preseason games.

Tortorella had this statement for the media regarding Staal after the day was over:

"It started up again when he was working out this summer. So our doctors were with him this summer. We've had specialists with him. He is a very important guy and we just want to make sure that we are smart about this while getting geared up for the regular season. He won't play any exhibition games for a while, but he did the testing, skated hard today, and I saw him before he left and he said he is feeling good.

I just want him to feel better consistently. He could have contact—he's been cleared for contact—but we are holding him out. We don't want this to hinder him. We know what this kid is about, and it's not like he's fighting for a position. We just want to be smart with a very big piece to our puzzle.

This is me, (head trainer Jim Ramsay), and the organization just being cautious here. There's no sense of rushing this when this has lingered a little bit. We are being cautious, and I am very encouraged from the past couple of days.

"

It is never a good sign when you hear that your top defenseman is suffering from headaches and post-concussion-like symptoms. The good news is that he is not expected to miss the season opener and that he had passed baseline tests in order to even compete in games and practices last season.

Here is a video of the hit that concussed Staal against Carolina. It was quite and "un-brotherly" hit by Eric Staal.

Michael Sauer (knee tendinitis) also did not practice for the third day in a row. This is a bit concerning with two top defensemen down.

Brandon Prust also did not scrimmage today. The Rangers are taking precaution with Prust after he underwent offseason shoulder surgery. Jesse Spector tweeted the following in regards to Prust sitting out (@NYDNRangers): "Brandon Prust not scrimmaging today as #NYR ease him back into game conditions following offseason shoulder surgery."

It is good to see that the Rangers are taking precautions with important players like Prust and Staal. Adding Rupp will be very beneficial to the the Rangers, considering the sturdiness of Staal's shoulder.

The Rangers had a second set of scrimmages today. Jesse Spector provided a full run down of the scrimmage. Here is an excerpt:

"

Henrik Lundqvist was strong in his first scrimmage of training camp, coming within 2:13 of a shutout before Derek Stepan broke it up in the White team’s 4-2 triumph over Blue.

Ryan McDonagh’s one-timer with 6.5 seconds left made the final score look respectable for Blue in a much more fast-paced and hard-hitting scrimmage than the one in the morning, something that is not uncommon in camp.

Brian Boyle led the way offensively for White, scoring in the first minute of both the first and second halves. Boyle’s linemate, Ruslan Fedotenko, added a goal on a chase penalty shot.

"

Hre were a few interesting line combinations from today.

Wolski—Richards—Gaborik

This line is an expected first line for the Rangers. Wolski worked hard this offseason and it is showing in practice. He can make a huge difference this year if the line clicks.

Dubinsky—Stepan—Callahan

This would be an interesting second line. Stepan could really benefit from two seasoned players like Callahan and Dubinsky. This would open up the possibility of this third line.

Hagelin—Anisimov—Fedotenko

I would love to see this line. Fedotenko is a seasoned veteran and can play both wings. He can play two-way hockey and has a great wrist shot. Anisimov is primed to have a big year and playing on this line could allow him to fly under the radar. Hagelin is a wild card, but I feel he could have a huge impact.

The fourth line is pretty predictable when it comes to who will play on it. It will involve Prust, Boyle and Rupp, but Boyle and Rupp could switch back and forth between the wing and center.

We won't see this line until maybe Friday or over in Europe as Tortorella plans on rolling out a very youthful team against the Devils this Wednesday in Albany.

Here is an excerpt by Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

"

Tortorella said that he 'would be disappointed' if no kids make the team, but added, 'I'm not going to force-feed it, either.

'There are spots open and there's going to be competition along the way,' the coach said. 'But they have to earn it.'

The Blueshirts will send a youth-laden lineup to Albany for Wednesday's preseason opener in Albany while complying with the mandate, as loosely defined by the CBA, to dress eight veterans.

"

What lines would you like to see in the Rangers' first preseason game Wednesday against the Devils? Leave a comment in the section below to get the conversation going.

Special thanks to Larry Brooks, Jim Cerny, Andrew Gross and Jesse Spector for excellent coverage and reports so far.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist and New York Rangers Featured Columnist.

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