head coach: Colin Campbell

roster: C - Wayne Gretzky, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Skrudland, Mike Eastwood. LW - Adam Graves, Kevin Stevens, Bill Berg, Darren Langdon, Tim Sweeney. RW - Niklas Sundstrom, Alexei Kovalev, Mike Keane, Johan Lindbom, Ryan VandenBussche. D - Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff Beukeboom, Bruce Driver, Doug Lidster, Alexander Karpovstev, Eric Cairns, Jeff Finley. G - Mike Richter, Jason Muzzatti.

injuries: Adam Graves, lw, (sprained right knee, 4-6 weeks). Brian Skrudland, c, (broken right index finger, day-to-day weeks). Johan Lindbom, rw, (dislocated shoulder, 1-2 weeks).

transactions: Sent Marc Savard, c, to Hartford(AHL). Recalled Pierre Sevigny, rw, from Hartford. Recalled Savard from Hartford. Sent Sevigny and Savard down to Hartford.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Philadelphia 16   8   5   3    19   48   40
New Jersey   12   8   4   0    16   41   23
Washington   14   7   5   2    16   44   36
NY Islanders 13   6   5   2    14   40   33
NY Rangers   15   3   6   6    12   36   41
Florida      13   3   7   3     9   28   42
Tampa Bay    13   2   9   2     6   23   43

game results:

10/20 Carolina        W 4-2
10/22 Chicago         L 1-0
10/24 Tampa Bay       W 4-3
10/26 Anaheim         T 3-3
10/28 Dallas          L 3-2
10/30 at Islanders    L 5-3

team news:

by Alex Frias, NY Rangers Correspondent

What a Mess: The Mark Messier move keeps looking worse by the day. Messier has yet to turn his new team around while the Rangers clearly miss his impact and leadership skills to turn this sinking ship around.

"Everyone knows there's only one Mark Messier and the situation we're in now is something we have to go through together," Rangers captain Brian Leetch said.

On the ice, the situation is bleak. The Rangers have managed only 34 goals in 13 games, not only because Messier's output is missing, but because his departure has rocked Norris Trophy winner Leetch who has only four points and is minus-8. Leetch, who has skated his entire career with the Rangers alongside Messier, is now often on the ice with Wayne Gretzky and they have yet to mesh.

Off the ice, Messier was the undisputeable team leader. With him gone, there has been no one to take over. Brian Skrudland and Mike Keane were both acquired in the hope of filling Messier's void, but they haven't had enough time to make an impact.

"Too many guys are not looking at themselves in the mirror and saying 'I've got to do better,'" said Jeff Beukeboom.

"Each guy has to understand that everyone has responsibility. It's a pretty good city to play in and a pretty good situation. Everybody has to rally. Nobody's going to throw us a ladder to help us out," said Gretzky.

Few Rangers take the body with any regularity, and the only line to get any kind of cycle going has been one containing Darren Langdon. Colin Campbell has switched his lines to make up for the recent injuries, but no one seems to click for 60 minutes.

"It's wrong to be in our building behind 1-0 and 2-0 every night. We have to correct it quickly or it will definitely be a long year," said Gretzky.

Gretzky gets 1,851 assist: Add another one to what seems like Wayne Gretzky's ever-growing list of awards and accomplishments. Gretzky became the only player in NHL history to register more assists than any other NHL player has points when he set up two goals in a 3-3 tie against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Gretzky assisted on a goal by Niklas Sundstrom at 12:14 of the second period for his 1,850th career assist, equaling the overall point total of Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe. Then, 32 seconds into the third period, Gretzky assisted on a goal by Ulf Samuelsson for his milestone. The crowd at MSG chanted, "Gretzky, Gretzky," and he waved his stick and gave the fans a thumbs-up sign.

"It was a pretty exciting time," said Gretzky, who was admittedly frustrated the last few games as several teammates failed to finish on quality chances. "I was kind of speechless when it happened."

No athlete in history has statistically dominated his sport like Gretzky has. To give Gretzky's accomplishment some perspective, consider this: Gretzky would still be the all-time point leader even if he had never scored a goal. 'Nuff said.

Adam Out 4-6: Adam Graves will miss four to six weeks with a second-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament suffered against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Graves, one of the Rangers' top forwards and most consistent players, was hurt when teammate Tim Sweeney fell on him during a goalmouth scramble. Graves joined Brian Skrudland and Johan Lindbom on the Rangers' injury list.

"You don't replace Adam," said Wayne Gretzky. "He's too good. He's a workaholic, one of the most unselfish players in the game."

Fortunately for the Rangers, both Skrudland and Lindbom are expected back soon. Skrudland is about a game or two from returning and Lindbom is about a week away.

Gretzky's Wife Injured: Janet Gretzky, wife of Wayne Gretzky, was injured while watching the Rangers lose to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks 1-0 when a pane of Plexiglas from the rink's sideboards was knocked loose by an Ulf Samuelsson collision and hit her in the head.

She was rushed to the emergency room at Roosevelt Hospital and was later joined by her husband. She and another women, who also was taken to the hospital, were watching the game in rinkside seats.

Janet Gretzky, an actress and dancer, appeared to have been knocked unconscious by the blow to her head. As she was being carried out of the arena on a stretcher, she seemed to regain consciousness. She was released the following day. Doctors reported that she was briefly unconscious and sustained a mild concussion and a cut lip by the "collision" with the 6-by-6 foot pane of protective plastic glass. The extent of the other women's injuries was not released.

Husband Wayne, who was visibly shaken, skated over to check on his wife during the 10-minute delay in the game. Gretzky was so shaken by the events that he finished playing the game instead of racing off the ice and into the ambulance that carried his wife to Roosevelt Hospital.

In the face of on-ice crisis, Wayne is smoother than a Barry White melody, yet when faced with off-ice crisis, Wayne showed that maybe Janet is the real "Great One".

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