Vigneault: Confident Callahan will be re-signed; Dorsett in

In a surprising pre-game briefing here in Philadelphia, when asked about Dan Girardi's six-year, $33 million contract, coach Alain Vigneault offered a strong opinion on Ryan Callahan's status:

“I’m very confident that the other half will get done as well.  Dan’s been a New York Ranger all his life, he’s a big part of our team.  For that to get done is very positive for our group. Ryan’s the captain of this team, you guys all know what he brings to this team on a daily basis. So Dan got done, I’ve always said I’m optimistic and positive and I’m positive and optimistic that this is going to get done…I hope…If I were a betting man, I’d bet it’s going to get done.”

Steve Bartlett, Callahan's agent, said last night that the two sides continued to talk.

On today's lineup for the 1 p.m. matchup, Vigfneault said Dom Moore would sit and Brian Boyle would center a fourth line with Derek Dorsett (who has missed 17 games with a broken leg) and Dan Carcillo. :

"It’s important for us to see what a line with Dorsett and Carcillo would look like. Dom’s done everything we wanted, but sometimes you’ve got to make some tough decisions, and this is not an easy one. I expect to see energy, real smart hockey from whistle to whistle…we play real fast, we’ve been playing a real smart game at both ends."