Tonight Martin Biron will make his first start for the Rangers as they face the Maple Leafs, who are going with their own backup, Jonas Gustavsson, in net.
?It?s definitely exciting,? Biron said after the Rangers? morning skate at the Air Canada Centre. ?I?ve been looking forward to (today) since training camp ended, and I?ve been paying close attention to what we?ve been doing and what other teams have been doing, and been working really hard in practice. I feel ready. It?s just about letting it all come naturally tonight on the ice. If I?m able to do that, and able to focus on that, we should come out with a great showing.?
With the Rangers playing back-to-back games on Saturday in Boston and Sunday at home against the Devils, it might come as a bit of surprise that Biron is starting tonight, but this was the Rangers? plan all along, and no decision has been made yet for the weekend goaltenders.
?These are important days for (Henrik Lundqvist),? John Tortorella said. ?When you?re playing all the time, you?re not practicing and working on the things you need to work on. So this was - I didn?t map it out and say this is the game, but we felt this was a good time to get him some good practice time.?
Biron has a new mask, which makes it look like his head is in the mouth of a lion, and has the Rangers? 85th anniversary crest on the side. He does not plan to wear it tonight, though, sticking with the red-white-and-blue one he had in the preseason. The new mask is for use with the Rangers? still-to-be-unveiled third jerseys (although photos of the alternates have been leaked).
WHERE THERE?S SMOKE: Toronto?s Globe and Mail ran a lengthy story today hyping a potential fight between Derek Boogaard and former Ranger Colton Orr, and Boogaard drew a large crowd in the Rangers? locker room in anticipation of some fireworks tonight.
But both teams downplayed the potential for rough business after Marian Gaborik was injured on an illegal hit by Colby Armstrong and Sean Avery delivered two slashes to the back of Mike Komisarek?s legs during Friday night?s game at the Garden.
?There?s a little smoke,? Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. ?And you guys are trying to fan it into a forest fire.?
Said Boogaard: ?Every hockey game is physical. That?s the way it is.?
Physical doesn?t necessarily mean dropping the gloves, as Brandon Prust did with Toronto?s Mike Brown on Friday. Given their struggles on faceoffs, the Rangers may find themselves in a situation where they simply need to muscle the Leafs off the puck to establish their possession game.
?We?re playing these guys a lot right now, and we expect it?s gonna be pretty intense out there,? Prust said. ?Everybody?s gonna be crashing and banging. It should be a fun one. We don?t have to go out and fight everybody. We have to make sure we?re playing hard and beating them on the ice. That?s one big thing, is finishing checks, and make sure we?re physical.?
For his part, Armstrong doesn?t expect any special retribution for his boarding penalty that knocked Gaborik out for up to a month with a separated shoulder - but he?ll still have his eyes open.
?I got hit pretty hard a few times last game, myself,? Armstrong said. ?I?ll definitely keep my head on a swivel and expect the same physical play.?
OFF-BROADWAY BLUESHIRTS: For the second time in three road games this season, the Rangers will wear their blue jerseys tonight. The Rangers also wore their blues on Long Island, and adding in their two home games, have yet to win wearing them. Their only win of the season, on opening night in Buffalo, came in the road whites.
?It?s definitely exciting,? Biron said after the Rangers? morning skate at the Air Canada Centre. ?I?ve been looking forward to (today) since training camp ended, and I?ve been paying close attention to what we?ve been doing and what other teams have been doing, and been working really hard in practice. I feel ready. It?s just about letting it all come naturally tonight on the ice. If I?m able to do that, and able to focus on that, we should come out with a great showing.?
With the Rangers playing back-to-back games on Saturday in Boston and Sunday at home against the Devils, it might come as a bit of surprise that Biron is starting tonight, but this was the Rangers? plan all along, and no decision has been made yet for the weekend goaltenders.
?These are important days for (Henrik Lundqvist),? John Tortorella said. ?When you?re playing all the time, you?re not practicing and working on the things you need to work on. So this was - I didn?t map it out and say this is the game, but we felt this was a good time to get him some good practice time.?
Biron has a new mask, which makes it look like his head is in the mouth of a lion, and has the Rangers? 85th anniversary crest on the side. He does not plan to wear it tonight, though, sticking with the red-white-and-blue one he had in the preseason. The new mask is for use with the Rangers? still-to-be-unveiled third jerseys (although photos of the alternates have been leaked).
WHERE THERE?S SMOKE: Toronto?s Globe and Mail ran a lengthy story today hyping a potential fight between Derek Boogaard and former Ranger Colton Orr, and Boogaard drew a large crowd in the Rangers? locker room in anticipation of some fireworks tonight.
But both teams downplayed the potential for rough business after Marian Gaborik was injured on an illegal hit by Colby Armstrong and Sean Avery delivered two slashes to the back of Mike Komisarek?s legs during Friday night?s game at the Garden.
?There?s a little smoke,? Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. ?And you guys are trying to fan it into a forest fire.?
Said Boogaard: ?Every hockey game is physical. That?s the way it is.?
Physical doesn?t necessarily mean dropping the gloves, as Brandon Prust did with Toronto?s Mike Brown on Friday. Given their struggles on faceoffs, the Rangers may find themselves in a situation where they simply need to muscle the Leafs off the puck to establish their possession game.
?We?re playing these guys a lot right now, and we expect it?s gonna be pretty intense out there,? Prust said. ?Everybody?s gonna be crashing and banging. It should be a fun one. We don?t have to go out and fight everybody. We have to make sure we?re playing hard and beating them on the ice. That?s one big thing, is finishing checks, and make sure we?re physical.?
For his part, Armstrong doesn?t expect any special retribution for his boarding penalty that knocked Gaborik out for up to a month with a separated shoulder - but he?ll still have his eyes open.
?I got hit pretty hard a few times last game, myself,? Armstrong said. ?I?ll definitely keep my head on a swivel and expect the same physical play.?
OFF-BROADWAY BLUESHIRTS: For the second time in three road games this season, the Rangers will wear their blue jerseys tonight. The Rangers also wore their blues on Long Island, and adding in their two home games, have yet to win wearing them. Their only win of the season, on opening night in Buffalo, came in the road whites.
