BOSTON — Five playoff goals safely stashed in the indelible ink of the NHL record book, Chris Kreider makes his regular-season NHL debut Saturday night with the Rangers — at home, no less.
“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to play in Boston, but I don’t want that to overshadow the fact that it’s the season-opener and I have a game to play,” said Kreider, a native of nearby Boxford, Mass., who skated at Boston Garden for Boston College. “At the end of the day, getting the chance to play at home in front of my family and friends is secondary.”
The 21-year-old Kreider, who established the record last year for most playoff goals before playing in a regular-season game, is scheduled to open Saturday night on a line with Brian Boyle and Taylor Pyatt after a short training camp that followed three months with the AHL Whale.
“It’s hard to say that I accomplished exactly what I set out to accomplish in this camp because there’s so much work to be done and so much to learn, but I think I had a productive week,” he said. “I don’t want to evaluate myself, but I’m happy with the effort I put forth.”
* Michael Sauer, the defenseman who has not played since suffering a concussion on a blow from Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf on Dec. 5, 2011 at the Garden, will not play this season.
“Unfortunately, he’s not even in the conversation,” coach John Tortorella said, essentially confirming what The Post has reported for months.
* The Rangers will dress four players who were not on the roster for the Game 6 conference final defeat to the Devils that ended the team’s season. Pyatt, Rick Nash, Jeff Halpern and Brandon Segal replace Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust. Stu Bickel, a scratch for Game 6, will be in the lineup, switching places with Steve Eminger.
Matt Gilroy is also expected to be scratched while Arron Asham serves the final game of the carryover suspension he received as a Penguin in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series against the Flyers. Tortorella said the free agent will be in the lineup for tomorrow night’s Garden opener against Pittsburgh.
* The Blues agreed to terms yesterday with defenseman Wade Redden on a one-year, $800,000 deal. Redden was placed on waivers this week by the Rangers, who bought out the final two years of his contract on Thursday.
— Additional reporting by The Associated Press