AUTHOR: The Maven TITLE: Thoughts on first week DATE: 10/11/2006 02:18:00 PM ----- BODY:

BLUESHIRTS' CONCERNS? Now it can be told; the Rangers won’t go 82-0 this year. Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to Philly was revealing in several respects: 1) JAROMIR JAGR - The captain will need time to regain full use of his recuperating shoulder. In the interim, he’ll need protection because you can bet that some unfriendly foe will be taking dead aim at Jags. 2) BRENDAN SHANAHAN - A part from the fact that Glen Sather’s best acquisition does more with less energy expended, he’s also moving into the leadership role. I don’t know about you, but I found it very interesting that Shanahan took it upon himself to pep talk the club after the first period. How he shares that leadership role with Jagr will be worth watching. 3) HENRIK LUNDQVIST - If my call that Henny is one of the four best goalies in the league is to hold up, he’ll have to do better than the two iffy goals he relinquished last night. As Lundqvist admits, “We have to play better, starting with me.” 4) NIGEL DAWES - I want to see more of him. The little hustler reminds me of Zach Parise who floundered in the first half of last season because he didn’t get enough ice. When he did play Tuesday night, he out hustled his teammates and demonstrated more ice time is in order. Not to worry; no team have ever gone 82-0 in history. TED NOLAN’S TEST Now 0-3 with loaded Anaheim coming up tonight, Ted Nolan must address some obvious concerns, starting with undisciplined play and defensive breakdowns. What’s evident is that some of the key backliners lacked sufficient guidance from former coach Steve Stirling: Nolan has some serious teaching to do in this regard. RICK DIPIETRO It’s easy to put the rap on Ricky because of the 0-3 record, and, of course, his 15 year deal. But let’s get real; the embattled goalie is being confronted with too many defensive breakdowns and odd man rushes from the opposition. DiPietro is the least of the Islanders’ worries. BUFFALO BEAUTS The prevailing thinking among Sabres-watchers is that Buffalo would have to trade Marty Biron to fortify their other positions. Actually, it’s just the opposite; Biron once again is proving that the Sabres are a better team with the remarkable combo of Ryan Miller and Biron sharing the net. Figure Marty to remain a Sabre for this season, at least. DEVILS DEN As the Devs prepare for their Thursday night home opener against Toronto, only one thing bothers me about the club and that’s the right eye injury that David Hale suffered almost two weeks ago. Although the swelling has receded, Hale still is not ready to play and will have the eye examined in Friday. I expect Hale, when healthy, to be a major contributor to the Devils’ D. But eye injuries scare me, and I’m hoping that David gets his full vision back post-haste. I’m looking forward to Claude Julien’s home debut as coach, as well as Patrik Elias wearing the captain’s “C.”

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