Drury hopes to return Friday
Photo credit: Christopher Pasatieri | Chris Drury, right, congratulates Henrik Lundqvist after a 5-0 win over the Islanders at Madison Square Garden. (Mar. 24, 2010)
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BUFFALO - Chris Drury, who broke his left index finger Sept. 20 while blocking a shot during a scrimmage, practiced with the team Saturday for the first time since the injury and is getting closer to a return.
"I really wanted to push it a little to see how it responded, and I was pretty happy with it," said Drury, who is on injured reserve and will practice again Sunday in Westchester.
Privately, he is eyeing a return for Friday's home opener against Toronto. "I just hope it's as quick as possible,'' he said, "but I'm taking it day to day."
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"I don't think it's going to be a conditioning thing, just timing," said Drury, who was expected to be sidelined four weeks. "The biggest concern is taking a step back. If it were to separate and require surgery, you're talking months. We're just making sure that it's stuck together enough. We'll see how it reacts."
Drury is wearing a splint off-ice, and his glove is triple-layered for protection. When he is ready, the Rangers - at the 23-player limit - will have to move a forward, either by waivers or trade.
Gilroy scratched
Matt Gilroy, who was benched near the end of last season, was a healthy scratch last night. Steve Eminger and rookie Mike Sauer were the third defensive pair.
"We asked him [Gilroy] to concentrate on some things and he worked hard in the summer," coach John Tortorella said. "We just felt as a coaching staff that Sauer had a better camp. This is just one game."
Because the Rangers have five righthanded defensemen, the veteran Eminger will "be better on the left side, so it came down to him [Sauer] or Matt," Tortorella said.
Sauer, 23, a 6-3 Minnesota native, played three games in 2008-09 as a call-up. He finished at plus-1 last night.
"You come to training camp hoping you'll be in the opening game," he said. "You've got to live in the present and make the most of it."
