Pierre McGuire's In the Crease

A major reason for the Rangers' hot start has been the play of underappreciated forward Brandon Dubinsky (right), the 60th pick of the 2004 NHL draft. After dedicating his off-season training to building leg strength, Dubinsky, 22, has shown much more speed than he did as a rookie last season. He had four points as New York opened with four straight wins.... Watch for the Canucks' line of Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Jannik Hansen to become one of the more effective in the league. All three forwards play with a physical edge and at a high rate of speed. Burrows scored twice in Vancouver's home opener after nearly breaking down during a moving pregame tribute to Luc Bourdon, the Canucks defenseman who was killed in a motorcycle crash last May; Burrows was Bourdon's closest friend on the team.

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LOU CAPOZZOLA (DUBINSKY)