Rinaldo in fight for Flyers roster spot

ZAC RINALDO may have cemented a spot on the Flyers' opening-night roster on Oct. 6 in Boston because of circumstances beyond his control.

The Flyers will be without enforcer Jody Shelley through the first five games of the season, thanks to a stiff suspension handed down from new discipline czar Brendan Shanahan last week.

Now, next-fighter-in-line Tom Sestito may be joining Shelley on the sideline.

Just 23 seconds after Sestito watched Rinaldo, his main competition for a spot, pound the daylights out of Rangers defenseman Dale Weise in a fight, Sestito flew in practically from New Jersey to nail Andre Deveaux from behind on the boards.

"He was trying to make this team and, in my opinion, he probably got a little overzealous," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "That's unfortunate for him."

Now, Sestito will wait to hear from Shanahan today - just 24 hours after Columbus' prized acquisition James Wisniewski was suspended for the first eight games of the regular season.

"I don't consider myself a dirty player," Sestito said after the Flyers beat the Rangers, 5-3, in preseason action at the Wells Fargo Center last night. "It's definitely not what I wanted to do, to sit and watch when I wanted to show them that I can play. Hopefully it wasn't that bad."

Rinaldo, just 5-11 and 169 pounds, bloodied Weise - who is 3 inches taller and 45 pounds heavier - in a clean TKO. It was Rinaldo's first fight of the preseason.

"I hadn't fought in a while," Rinaldo said. "I was kind of itching for it. I felt bad for the first guy who was asking for it."

For Rinaldo, the circumstances don't matter. He just wants to be an NHLer. And Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said Rinaldo had an opening to make the team either way.

"I think I've set myself up in a good position," Rinaldo said. "It's not me this time, I'm not suspended. I'm being safe, I'm letting up on a lot of hits. I feel positive. They're giving me a chance to play hockey and I've ran with it."

Flyers forward Brayden Schenn left the game with 5:02 remaining in the second period with what's being labeled as an upper-body injury, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

"We don't think it's anything serious," Holmgren said. "I would say he's probably questionable for our next game and then we'll see after that."

Jaromir Jagr may have been the Flyers' most impressive player on the ice, posting back-to-back power-play goals and an assist in his Wells Fargo Center debut. Jagr now has five points in two preseason games . . . The Flyers were 3-for-8 on the power play overall . . . Less than a week after a banana peel was thrown at Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds in London, Ontario, Rangers agitator Sean Avery accused Simmonds of using a homophobic slur against him, which was also caught on camera. Avery has been campaigning for gay marriage in New York . . . After the game, the Rangers flew to Europe to begin a six-game stretch abroad, which includes four preseason games and two regular- season games as they open the season in Sweden.