Heikkinen ready to make debut for Rangers
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Nov. 30: Penguins 5, Rangers 2
BUFFALO - The weather here, swirling snow and icy temperatures, should be familiar to Ilkka Heikkinen. What the Finnish defenseman, who will make his Rangers debut Saturday night at HSBC Arena, hasn't had a taste of yet is the NHL game.
"It's a high tempo," Heikkinen, 25, said of practice Friday before the Rangers, who have lost three straight, flew here to face the Sabres, who have won four straight and are 9-3-2 at home. "There's less dumping. You have to put it right away to the forwards. I don't play with the puck as much."
His skill with the puck in his last two seasons in Helsinki, where he had 19 goals and 52 assists in 105 games, caught the eye of Rangers scouts, and Heikkinen was signed in May. He said of training camp in September: "The first day was a little bit hard, but it was for everybody . . . I knew I had to start in the AHL." He said he figured "if I play my game, everything goes well from there."
Through 24 games in Hartford, Heikkinen had five goals and 11 assists and earned a call-up when the team learned that Wade Redden's ailing right shoulder will keep him out of the weekend's games here and at home against the Red Wings. "We have good reports on him. I'm anxious to see him play," coach John Tortorella said.
One teammate in Hartford, rookie goalie Chad Johnson, who also made the trip as Henrik Lundqvist's backup, appreciates Heikkinen. "He's a really smart player," he said. "He's good with the puck. He can be physical, too."
Unlike Heikkinen, who will be baptized by fire, Johnson is here to soak up the atmosphere and work with goaltending coach Benoit Allaire. Tortorella said he could be sent back and forth to Hartford on days off to play AHL games. Lundqvist is slated to play Saturday night and Sunday and in the two games next week.
"It'll be kind of the real deal when I'm out there for warm-ups," said Johnson, 23, who starred at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and posted a 2.10 GAA in 18 games with the Wolf Pack. "It'll be surreal."
Notes & quotes: Brandon Dubinsky, out with a broken hand since Nov. 7, skated before practice for the first time . . . Donald Brashear (hand) is day-to-day.
