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, one week).

transactions: Sent Johan Lindbom, rw, to Hartford (AHL). Recalled Lindbom from Hartford. Acquired Brad Smyth, rw, from Los Angeles for future considerations. Assigned Smyth to Hartford (AHL).

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Philadelphia 22  13   6   3    29   68   51
New Jersey   19  14   5   0    28   60   34
Washington   21  12   7   2    26   60   48
NY Islanders 20   8   8   4    20   56   50
NY Rangers   20   6   7   7    19   51   50
Florida      19   6   9   4    16   42   57
Tampa Bay    20   2  16   2     6   34   72

game results:

11/03 Edmonton      T 2-2
11/06 at Colorado   W 4-2
11/07 at Dallas     T 2-2
11/12 New Jersey    L 3-2
11/14 Pittsburgh    W 3-1
11/16 Colorado      W 4-1

team news:

by Alex Frias, NY Rangers Correspondent

He Shoots, He Scores!: The wait is over. No, the Knicks didn't win a championship. Alexei Kovalev finally scored a goal!

Driving down the wing after taking a dish from Tim Sweeney, Kovalev slammed on the brakes in the right circle to freeze Garden favorite Darius Kasparaitis. He then went on to step around him and whistle a wrist shot over Tom Barrasso's shoulder and into the top of the net to break a 1- 1 tie with the Penguins with 11:10 left. It became the game-winner as the Blueshirts went on to win 3-1.

"It felt great, actually," Kovalev said of ending the goalless streak that had dated back to Jan. 9, the night he suffered the major knee injury against Tampa Bay that ended his 1996-97 campaign. "Finally I scored a goal... and we won the game. We finally won a game at home, which is what is most important for us."

"We needed the win and Alex needed the weight off his shoulders," said Colin Campbell. The same Campbell who had benched Kovalev for 45-minutes in Dallas and gave him all of two shifts in the second period in Ottawa.

But did Alex (isn't that a swell name) stop there... no, he went into the Colorado game and scored the game-winner in that one. Son-of-a-gun got a two-game goal streak. That's odd...

Trade Talk: Despite the team's recent relatively good play, trade rumors are flying high. And with the recent Vancouver hiring of the infamous Mike Keenan, there have been whispers that some deals between the two teams aren't far off. And given the fact that its either my way or the high way with Iron Mike, you have to believe something is going down.

GM Neil Smith is itching to move Kovalev, who's good play as of late has just helped rise his stock, and Keenan has been a fan since calling the Russian winger "an untamed stallion" when he coached him during the Ranger Stanley Cup season of 1993-94. On the flip side, Kovalev makes $1.5 million while Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, either one possible on the Vancouver end of a trade, both make over $5 million a year which creates a problem for Smith who is maxed out with a $44 million budget. So either the difference will have to be coughed up by Cablevision or Smith would have to throw in a defensemen, mostly likely either Alexander Karpovtsev or Jeff Beukeboom.

On a lighter note, The Rangers acquired right winger Brad Smyth from the Los Angeles Kings for future considerations.

Smyth, 24, had one goal and three assists in nine games for the Kings this season. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in 68 career NHL games.

Smyth was immediately assigned to Hartford in the AHL.

Injury Analysis: Brian Skrudland (broken index finger) returned against the Avalanche after missing nine games and reunited the formidable checking line with Bill Berg and Mike Keane.

Rookie forward Johan Lindbom (dislocated shoulder) made his NHL debut against the Devils. Lindbom, who impressed in preseason with his hard-hitting, is expected to do the same now that he is finally healthy. And unlike some other guys on this team (Kovalev?), he knows his role.

"If I don't hit, I'll be sitting in the stands," said Lindbom.

Adam Graves (sprained right knee on October 24) is skating and could return this week.

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