It was expected that Hirsch, 21, would be sent to Binghamton of the AHL, where he had a 35-4-5 record and 2.79 goals-against average last season. But Smith said he is bringing in Hirsch to practice with the Rangers and show whether he belongs in the NHL. The import of this is that if Hirsch does well, it makes backup goalie Glenn Healy expendable.
"Firstly, there's not enough net for two guys, let alone three," Healy said Monday night after Mike Richter made 26 saves to earn his 100th career victory, 4-1, over the Flyers at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers did the Islanders a favor by beating the Flyers, who along with the Panthers hold a four-point lead in the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The Rangers' goals were by Brian Leetch (15th, on a power play), Alexei Kovalev (10th), Jay Wells (2nd) and Sergei Nemchinov (19th, on a power play). The Flyers' Mikael Renberg got his 28th goal, tops among NHL rookies.
"I'm just pleased we came off a loss and looked like we were sharp," Keenan said, referring to Saturday's 3-1 defeat in Dallas. "I was pleased about the overall effort."
Devils 5, Blues 1. In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Bill Guerin scored two goals to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
Penguins 4, Panthers 3. In Miami, Rick Tocchet's second goal of the game with 4:40 left in the third period led the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Maple Leafs 4, Senators 1. In Ottawa, Wendel Clark scored three goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1
Winnipeg 3, San Jose 3. In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Alexei Zhamnov's goal at 10:49 of the third period lifted Winnipeg into a tie with the San Jose Sharks, extending the Jets' winless streak to 19 games (0-16-3).
Kings 3, Canadiens 3. In Inglewood, California, Luc Robitaille scored his league-leading 23rd power-play goal for Los Angeles but Montreal rallied to tie.
(Newsday, AP)
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