Rangers, Devils fight at first puck drop

Devils forward Cam Janssen played for the first time since Jan. 21 and was in the starting lineup. The reason? Simple. The Devils wanted some early banging. Mission accomplished.

In 296 career games, Janssen, once referred to by Sean Avery as "that meathead from New Jersey," had 730 penalty minutes, and as the puck dropped, Janssen squared off with Mike Rupp, whose left thumb was broken by Eric Boulton's slash last week in Newark.

On the other side of the faceoff circle, Boulton dropped the gloves with Brandon Prust. The fights were draws, although Rupp seemed to be favoring his hand heading to the box.

Eminger still scratched

Defenseman Steve Eminger, activated from injured reserve (separated shoulder) on Saturday, was a healthy scratch for a second straight game. He could play against the Lightning Thursday, replacing rookie Stu Bickel, who was in the box for holding when the Devils scored the opening goal Tuesday night. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start Thursday against Tampa and Saturday against the Flyers. Martin Biron would be in the net on Sunday afternoon against Washington.

Staal aids juniors

Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, his brothers Eric and Jordan, and six other NHL players who are natives of Thunder Bay, Ontario, are donating 120 complete sets of brand new hockey equipment to 11 minor hockey organizations in the Thunder Bay area as part of a Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada celebration on Feb. 11. The equipment donation through the NHLPA Goals & Dreams foundation is worth more than $60,000.

SEE PHOTOSTop 10 Rangers playoff moments