head coach: Colin Campbell

roster: C - Wayne Gretzky, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Skrudland, Mike Eastwood, P.J. Stock. 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, Dan Cloutier.

injuries: Ryan VandenBususche, rw, (arthroscopic knee surgery, three weeks). Brian Leetch, d, (nerve compression in lower left leg, day-to-day).

transactions: Claimed Peter Ferraro, rw, from Pittsburgh.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division   
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
New Jersey   50  31  15   4    66  148  102
Philadelphia 48  27  12   9    63  144  104
Washington   50  25  17   8    58  142  127
NY Rangers   50  16  21  13    45  127  137
Florida      51  15  25  11    41  125  149
NY Islanders 50  16  27   7    39  127  145
Tampa Bay    49   9  32   8    26   87  160

game results:

1/12 Toronto        W 3-2
1/14 at New Jersey  L 4-1
1/20 St. Louis      W 3-1
1/22 Philadelphia   L 4-3
1/24 New Jersey     T 3-3
1/26 Washington     T 2-2

team news:

by Alex Frias, NY Rangers Correspondent

Power in Play: After hovering in the middle of the NHL pack for most of the season, the Rangers have connected on 11 of their past 20 power-play chances, for a remarkable 55 percent conversion rate.

Why the sudden surge? Everyone seems to have elevated their game since the break. Alexei Kovalev has been a boon on the point, gaining access into the attacking zone and allowing the Rangers to set up. And Kovalev's hard shot also creates rebounds in front when he lets go from the blue line. Brian Leetch, who has struggled throughout the whole season, also seems to have more jump since the All-Star game as he's been skating more freely.

All in all, the Blueshirts are passing more quickly and crisply, and are finally taking shots from the point to create rebound opportunities.

Kovalev Out for Two to Three: Alexei Kovalev will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Wednesday. The same right knee that he had surgically repaired last season. It's been bothering him since a 4-1 loss to New Jersey. He will be sidelined for three weeks and is almost assured of missing the Olympics in Nagano.

"It's so frustrating. After knee surgery I thought everything was going to be OK. I used to walk by the (trainer's) room and maybe get a massage, now I have to in there every day," Kovalev said. "You know how I feel being on that top line again. It hurts. The first half of the year I couldn't figure out why I wasn't playing and now I start playing the knee starts hurting me."

Kovalev has been flourishing after being moved up to the top line with Gretzky and benefiting from the accompanying ice time.

La-La-La-La-La-La-Fontaine: On January 22, the Rangers lost to Philadelphia 4-3. But Patty LaFontaine joined the record books as he scored his 1,000th and 1,001st career points. Joe Mullen and Phil Housley were the only other Americans to have more than 1,000 points. LaFontaine did it in 847 games. Mullen needed 1,063 and it took Housley 1,013.

"I was always a player told I was too small and wouldn't make it. There are a lot of players who have that attitude that you can prove people wrong and prove to yourself you can play in this game," LaFontaine said. "I'm thankful I've been blessed with some talent and have been able to get to that level. Anyone who gets to NHL level, no matter their size, has to have a lot of character and courage to get this far. It's something that has followed you along now, because the players are getting bigger and bigger. I always hoped at 32 or 33 I'd find some type of miracle food. I don't know what these guys are eating."

Joe Mullen is one my all-time heroes in all of sports, right up there with my man Don Mattingly. Pat is on that same plateau. Here's looking at you, Patty.

That's the Sound of the Police: An off-duty policeman who was just trying to get his hockey skates sharpened managed to solve the theft of $11,000 in merchandise belonging to Wayne Gretzky and other Rangers. Four Westchester county teenagers were arrested.

The hockey gear -- sticks, jerseys, pads, helmets and gloves, plus a laptop computer and printer -- were stolen Jan. 15 from a van parked at Playland Park in Rye, where the Rangers practice. The gear belonged to Gretzky, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and other players, according to police.

A $44 million payroll and they can't afford security?

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