For one preseason game, rookie Gabe Perreault played the way his fellow first-round pick, Brennan Othmann, needs to in order to make the New York Rangers roster out of training camp.
The results were much more encouraging for Perreault’s chances than Othmann’s. They also served as a reminder that only one of the 20-something wingers is likely to break camp with a chance to be in the opening-night lineup Oct. 7 at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Perreault looked like the hungrier, more engaged player in the 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, scoring the game’s first goal 3:12 in and finishing plus-2.