Marc Staal had never been so happy in his life to play in an NHL exhibition game as he was to lace ’em up for the Rangers’ preseason opener in Newark Monday night.
“You can tell yourself all summer long that you feel good and are ready to go, but to actually go out there and feel comfortable, I’m really happy with it,” Staal said after getting 21:56 of ice in the Blueshirts’ 2-1 defeat to the Devils. “There was no comparison to the way I felt when I came back for that one playoff game.”
Staal, of course, is making a return from the serious right eye injury he sustained last March 5 that sidelined him for the final 27 games of the regular season. The alternate captain played in Game 3 of the first round against the Caps, but did not feel secure enough to play again.
“I was able to get into the intensity of the game, and that felt good,” said Staal, who is playing with a tinted visor. “It was actually a bit of a relief.
“It was a good first step. It’s great to play again. I’m looking forward to playing more.”
Said coach Alain Vigneault: “I could tell he was a little anxious and nervous. And rightfully so. I think it’s only going to get better.”
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Dominic Moore scored the Rangers’ goal in his first game of any kind since April 16, 2012, when he suited up for the Sharks in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series against the Blues.
“I didn’t expect too much in my first game back,” said Moore, who sat out last season following the death of his wife. “There was some good, but it will take some time to get it all back.”
Moore, who centered Brandon Mashinter and Shawn O’Donnell most of the way, scored on a backhand rebound from the slot at 4:59 of the third after Danny Kristo and Marek Hrivik — his wingers on that shift — were denied by goaltender Keith Kincaid .
“I was very impressed [with Moore],” Vigneault said. “For a guy who was off a full year to play the way he did and talk to the players on the bench the way he did, I was very impressed.”
Moore got 13:33 of ice, including 2:01 on the penalty-kill unit. The center went 4-8 on draws.
“I was a little bit more unsure out there because I haven’t played in so long, but I feel strong and fast and my skills feel good,” said Moore, who will be in the lineup in Philadelphia on Tuesday. “There will be adjustments every game, but the more I play the better it will be.
“I know it will come.”
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Martin Brodeur seemed to take a verbal poke at Henrik Lundqvist last week when talking about the reduction of the size of goaltenders’ pads.
“There’s goalies — I won’t name names but they’re not too far — they have different padding that it’s not about protection,” Brodeur was quoted by The Record.
Lundqvist reluctantly acknowledged on Monday morning that he was aware of the remark.
“I know people have thought that I look big out there, but that’s never been an issue with me,” The King told The Post before surrendering one goal on 15 shots in 30:44 against the Devils. “I know I’m ‘not too far’ but I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Johan Hedberg, who was Brodeur’s partner with the Devils the past three years and is attending Rangers camp on a tryout, laughed as he heard Lundqvist address the issue.
“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,” said A-Rod, er, Hedberg.
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Cam Talbot, who was impressive in surrendering one goal on 12 shots in 21:34 after replacing Lundqvist, will play the second half of Tuesday night’s game in Philadelphia behind Martin Biron.
Vigneault said he will reinforce the concept of getting bodies in front of the net, noting the Blueshirts created little traffic most of the match.
The Rangers have six exhibition games that feature three sets of back-to-backs; Monday and Tuesday in New Jersey and Philadelphia, respectively; next Monday and Tuesday in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively; and Sept. 26 and 27 in Vancouver and Las Vegas (against the Kings), respectively.
The preponderance of back-to-backs is the reason the Rangers intend to bring up to 21 forwards, 14 defensemen and four goaltenders on their trip out west.
“The schedule is good in the sense that I’m going to carry a few more guys and it’s going to give me a good read on the guys,” Vigneault said. “It’s going to allow me to get a more accurate, longer read on guys in the organization.”
J.T. Miller, who suffered a hamstring pull during Thursday’s on-ice testing and then had to come off early the following day, remained off the ice on Monday, the third straight day he was unable to skate.