Blueshirts’ active roster pretty much set in stone

In many ways, this training camp is about the first-man-up from the AHL Wolf Pack when the Rangers need a reinforcement.

Because Gerard Gallant did not attempt to dispute either the math or the concept that, barring injury or illness, the Rangers’ roster is virtually locked only four days and one exhibition match into camp.

“Every coach and every manager says there are jobs available, there’s always jobs available when people come up and take them, but there’s not a lot [of open spots],” the head coach said before the Rangers’ opening 4-0 defeat to the Islanders at the Garden. “We hope that some good young players come up and battle for spots and make the decision real tough but we’re like any team when you get that many guys signed and there’s a salary cap.”

Could Morgan Barron play so well that he forces himself onto the team either in the middle or the wing? Could Sammy Blais lose a presumed fourth-line role to Dryden Hunt? Can Zac Jones outplay Nils Lundqvist by such a wide margin that the young American nabs a spot? Those seem to be the only variables.

“You want to see young players pushing for jobs, 22- and 23-yearold guys that haven’t played a whole lot of games,” Gallant said. “Some guys came up and played well last year so they deserve a chance. If the opportunity arises, who knows when you have to make a decision when the regular season starts?”

The Rangers seemed disconnected throughout much of the game, unable to create much offense while committing turnovers that created coverage issues and Islanders’ scoring chances. It was not pretty.

“Disappointed obviously, we didn’t play that well and we didn’t play hard enough,” Gallant said. “The team we played against did a lot of things right. They won the board battles, they play the game the right way. They didn’t give us scoring chances. We turned it over and initiated their scoring chances.

Nils Lundkvist, paired with Patrik Nemeth, played 21:11, including time on the second powerplay unit and on the penalty kill.

“It was fun to play my first game here at MSG, a fun experience that I’ll take with me,” the Swede said. “I’ve never seen an NHL game, so my first time, it was fun.”

Lundkvist, making the adjustment to the smaller NHL ice surface, said that, “You need to play more in the center of the ice.

“Back home, when you’re at the dots you have a lot of space to play. Now, you’re close to the boards so it’s going to be an adjustment but I feel I am getting better and better every time I’m out there.”

Alexandar Georgiev started and allowed three goals on 15 shots in 32:44 before relieved by Adam Huska, who surrendered one goal on eight shots in 26:59.