NHL

Rangers rookie has first NHL goal kicked off scoresheet

PHILADELPHIA — A “distinct kicking motion” is what is required to disallow an apparent goal off a skate according to the NHL Rule Book.

The problem is that the definition of “a distinct kicking motion,” is whatever VP’s Colin Campbell and Mike Murphy, the NHL’s video review deciders, decide that it is at any given moment.

After an unusually lengthy review yesterday, the deciders decided that they agreed with referee Don VanMassenhoven that Dale Weise had kicked in Sean Avery’s feed at 5:35 of the third period. But it appeared that the puck had banked in off the rookie’s skate blade before the skate moved forward as a result of the impact.

An awarded goal would have brought the Rangers within 2-1, but the Blueshirts did get the next goal anyway at 8:23. A goal also would have been the first in the NHL for Weise, who was playing his first NHL game following Friday’s recall from the AHL Whale.

“I honestly didn’t see the pass coming,” said Weise, who was returned to the Whale after the Blueshirts’ 4-1 defeat, and about 31 hours before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze. “I was standing in front about to tap it in, but it kind of went off my skate.

“I didn’t want my first one like that, anyway. I want a nice pretty one, maybe upstairs or something.”

Asked for his take on the call, coach John Tortorella answered the question with a question.

“What is the definition of distinct?” he wondered. “I don’t know what it is.

“When you see Weise’s foot up in the air after the fact, I don’t think it’s a kicking motion, I think it’s a motion. I mean, what is distinct? That’s something you’d have to ask Colie and the boys.”

The 22-year-old Weise played 6:43 in his NHL debut, finishing it off with a third-period fight against Daniel Carcillo, who had declined to go with Avery in the first period. Weise, a rugged sort, had been up at the end of last year but did not get into a game.

The NHL roster freeze goes into effect at midnight tomorrow night and lasts through midnight on Dec. 27. Anyone on the roster as of midnight tomorrow must remain in place through the freeze. Clubs are permitted to make recalls, however, during that time period.

It would be a surprise if Weise, who had a strong camp and then sustained a broken hand in Hartford before then suffering a broken finger upon his return, is not back on the roster within the next few weeks.

“I liked him. I liked him,” Tortorella said.

“It was obviously exciting,” Weise said. “I’m just excited to play here and show them what I can do.”

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A day after being called “our best playmaking center,” by the coach, Derek Stepan found himself on left wing on a line with center Erik Christensen and right wing Marian Gaborik. The experiment lasted two periods before Stepan moved back to the middle between Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky.

“It’s a different look trying to make plays, but I felt just as comfortable as I do in the middle,” said Stepan, who scored his team’s lone goal going to the net to finish Alex Frolov‘s centering feed during a line change in the third.

“We didn’t do a very good job [as a team] taking care of the puck. I think that was it. I think in spurts we were very, very good and then we were kind of dull a little bit in spurts also.”

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Rangers were 0-for-4 in 6:00 on the power play after getting one power play goal in each of their previous five games. Flyers went 1-for-4 in 5:24 of power play time. . . . Dubinsky was furious after being called for first period high stick on former teammate and linemate Nik Zherdev, believing that he had been tripped or slew-footed.

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Blueshirts are home Thursday to face Tampa Bay before league-mandated two-day Christmas break.

“We talked about sweeping these four games this week,” said Tortorella, whose team beat Washington, Pittsburgh and Phoenix before running into first-overall Philadelphia. “I feel good about where we’re going, but we’re going to have to get better [because] as you get going, by Christmas, other teams are going to get better.”


larry.brooks@nypost.com