When the Islanders (4-4-1) visit the Rangers (4-5-0) at MSG for the first meeting in 2013, it looks like they’ll see a different lineup wearing Broadway Blue. John Tortorella wasn’t kidding when he hinted that the play of the kids might replace some of the vets who have underperformed.

Brian Boyle is one of those underachievers. With one assist in nine games and not playing the kind of game the coaching staff expects, he skated in practice with Stu Bickel as an extra. Since the team acquired him from the Kings, he’s been a fixture on the penalty killing unit and a solid contributor overall. He hasn’t been a healthy scratch since his first year (’09-10). After being benched by Tortorella the other night, he took responsibility for his poor start. 

“I just haven’t played well enough,” Boyle told Jim Cerny in a piece on Blueshirts United. “I am not contributing enough or playing to where I can play. It’s not for lack of effort,  but I need to make a lot more of an impact. I know I’ve got to be better.”

Ryan Callahan is expected back tonight. He missed the past three games with a shoulder subluxation following a fight with Max Talbot. The Rangers have lacked the edge that Captain Cally brings. They posted a 1-2-0 record minus their emotional leader, including Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat to the Devils. The Ranger captain skated with rookies Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller in practice.

Tortorella nearly used my suggested lines from Twitter. Marian Gaborik is reunited with Brad Richards. Taylor Pyatt joins them on the top unit. One of my suggestions was teaming Rick Nash with Derek Stepan. Stepan is a playmaking pivot who can get the puck to Nash, whose two goals have come off rushes. They’ll be joined by Carl Hagelin, who’s picked up his play. Playing Miller and Kreider together with Callahan creates a different look. It could give our team better balance. With Boyle expected to sit, the fourth line is comprised of Arron Asham, Jeff Halpern and Darroll Powe.

The only major difference is I had Boyle centering Powe and Halpern. Not surprising that Tortorella keeps Asham in against the Islanders. Figure there to be some blood when the two classic rivals take to the ice. The Islanders get Colin McDonald back from a two-game suspension.

Already confirmed is that Dan Girardi will miss a second straight game with an undisclosed injury. Bad news for the Blueshirts, who struggled without their anchor on the blueline. Without him, Tortorella overused Mike Del Zotto, who never was the right fit with Marc Staal. The increased minutes took its toll with Del Zotto turning in one of his worst performances. Tortorella altered the defense pairings for tonight.

Ryan McDonagh, who’s off to a slow start- will play with Steve Eminger. Eminger is back in after being scratched the past four games. He replaces Bickel. Staal will work with Anton Stralman, who needs to be used more. Maybe they should try him on the first power play unit over Del Zotto. Stralman makes crisper decisions and will shoot if the opportunity presents itself. Del Zotto has been moved down to the third pair with turnover machine Matt Gilroy. I can just see Jack Capuano licking his chops to get John Tavares out there against this dynamic duo.

It’s amazing that Gilroy made our team and now is being used as a regular. If he fulfilled his potential offensively, I can see it. By including Tim Erixon for Nash, Glen Sather left Tortorella with no depth on the back end. The D is a mess. Maybe he should’ve held onto Tomas Kundratek. Until Dylan McIlrath is ready, the Rangers are in limbo. Every day, the loss of Mike Sauer increases. What a shame.

As expected, Henrik Lundqvist gets his ninth start. It will likely be Evgeni Nabokov, who’ll try to help the Islanders snap a two-game losing streak. The Islanders were blanked by the Devils 3-0 and dropped a 4-2 decision to the Pens. They score goals. Especially on the power play. Against a depleted PK that’s permitted at least one power play goal in eight consecutive games, it’s an interesting match-up. The Rangers must stay out of the penalty box.

After tonight, the Islanders and Rangers meet three more times due to the unbalanced schedule. Ridiculous. The first two are at The Garden with a rematch next Thursday, 2/14. The Islanders host the final two meetings on 3/7 and 4/13.