In a shortened season, Ranger fans won’t get to see Pavel Datsyuk work his magic against Henrik Lundqvist unless the Blueshirts and Red Wings meet for the Stanley Cup.

With the lockout mercifully coming to a halt yesterday, the NHL made plans for a 48-game season. The schedule probably won’t be released for a few days with both the league (owners) and players still needing to ratify the new bargaining agreement.

What we do know is that the abbreviated season will begin on Jan.19. All thirty teams will be in action, including area locals the Devils, Islanders and Rangers along with the Sabres. Training camps are expected to start on Saturday. Already excited fans can’t wait for the teams to hit the ice. The reaction has been overwhelming with plenty of Devils and Ranger fans anticipating the return of their teams for 2013. It’s like they’re in a candy store and found the winning golden ticket in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

As for myself, I’m still mixed on the NHL return. It never should’ve taken this long for the two sides to straighten things out. We can thank overmatched commissioner Gary “Scrooge” Bettman and PA coal destroyer Don Fehr for this mess. Sure. It’s finally over, which is great for everyone. But it leaves a sour taste. I wish I felt more positive about the upcoming 48-game slate, which predictably will feature only in conference games. It’s expected to be seven head-to-head meetings for division rivals, totaling 28 games. So, you’ll get your daily dose of exciting rivalries. Outside the division, I believe it’s 20 against other divisions inside your conference which I guess would mean two each versus 10 opponents.

Example: NYR vs NJD 7 vs NYI 7 vs Phi 7 vs Pit 7                      Total 28
               NYR vs Fla 2 vs Car 2 vs TB 2 vs Wsh 2 vs Wpg 2               10
               NYR vs Bos 2 vs Buf 2 vs Mtl 2 vs Ott 2 vs Tor 2                  10

That would equal 48. Basically, each team is playing once at home and once on the road against 10 conference teams outside their division. This puts an emphasis on having success within your division. Last year, the Rangers won the Atlantic primarily due to their strong 15-7-2 record. Oddly enough, that’s 24 total over 82. A sharp contrast to what we’ll probably see. Fans won’t get to see the opposite Conference. For us, that means no Pavel Datsyuk or new Red Wings’ captain Henrik Zetterberg. Datsyuk is my favorite player. So, that kinda sucks. But I’m sure he’ll be on NBC or NHL Network some time. For the West, it’s worse with no Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Ovechkin, Henrik Lundqvist or Steven Stamkos. I could easily list more Western stars but the most of the world’s best players are in the East.

Already injuries are a factor with Kings’ center Anze Kopitar out with a knee injury sustained in Sweden this past Saturday. He could miss two weeks, which would be a blow to the defending Cup champs. In a shortened season, losing key players is harder. The Devils are also expected to be minus rookie playoff hero Adam Henrique until February. The Flyers are supposed to start without Danny Briere. With basically half a season, there will be more of an emphasis on health.

Getting out quickly can only help teams in a wild scramble to make the playoffs. Under such chaos, anything can happen. Nothing is guaranteed. Don’t be shocked if some favorites underachieve or miss completely while unexpected teams emerge. It’s why I won’t make any predictions.

Finally, the last time there was a shortened year, it was in ’95 when the Devils swept Detroit for their first Cup. They barely made it but won anyway. As we’ve seen last year with the Kings and ironically the Devils, getting the higher seed means little. It’s how you perform under pressure that determines the heart of a champion.