Prust's right eye checks out OK
Rangers right wing Brandon Prust, right, fights Boston left wing Milan Lucic during the first period of a game in Boston. (Oct. 23, 2010) Credit: AP
BOSTON - Brandon Prust, who was at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary having his right pupil examined after Gregory Campbell's raised stick caught him in the face at 19:30 of the second period last night, checked out fine and was on the flight home just before 11 p.m.
Coach John Tortorella said he thinks the winger will be OK. "We really missed him in the third period," Tortorella said. It is unclear whether he will play against the Devils tonight.
Avery's got his back
Ruslan Fedotenko was felled but not bloodied by a high shoulder to the left side of his face by Mark Stuart that triggered Sean Avery's response just 4:20 into the game. Stuart was not given a penalty for the hit on Fedotenko.
"It's nice to see teammates stick up for you," Fedotenko said. "It's too bad [Avery] got the instigator. I don't know if it's an instigator or not."
Asked if he had a problem with the hit, Fedotenko said, "I didn't see how he [Stuart] came out or how he hit me. I don't know if it was the shoulder. It's part of the game. [But] If I see the replay and it's an elbow to my head, then yeah."
Tortorella wasn't unhappy with Avery. "First of all, he shouldn't have gotten an instigator,'' he said. "If he gets an instigator, I mean [Shawn] Thornton was chasing Boogey [Derek Boogaard] around the ice and he gets nothing. I have no problem with what Sean did. That's good, and we ended up killing it. It's the stupid penalties that you get sloppy with that's so frustrating."
Gaborik progressing
Marian Gaborik, sidelined with a separated left shoulder since the Oct. 15 game against the Leafs, had platelet-rich plasma therapy Tuesday and is progressing with his recovery.
Gaborik, 28, had said the PRP therapy, which involves collecting a concentrate of a patient's platelets and white blood cells, mixed it with an activating agent and re-injecting it into damaged tissue, helped repair previous groin and hamstring injuries. It is not believed that a second treatment will be necessary.
Defenseman Steve Eminger was a healthy scratch for the second straight game . . . Brian Boyle, who grew up in Hingham, Mass., and played at Boston College, requested 30 passes for family and friends. Boyle, who had two goals before last Saturday night and was a plus-2, skated on the fourth line with Todd White and Derek Boogaard.
