Flyers' Bellemare impressive against Rangers

ASK PIERRE-EDOUARD Bellemare to evaluate his first NHL training camp and even he will have a tough time providing a concrete answer.

Bellemare, 29, has played in three of the Flyers' first seven preseason games. The Paris native skated against NHL competition for the first time in a town called London, Ontario - a far cry from the city on River Thames he knows a bit better.

He spent the better part of the next week on the shelf with an undisclosed injury.

Then, he bounced back into the Flyers' lineup with a thud on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, a game Bellemare said was "one of my worst in a long time."

"It's a hard question," Bellemare said. "My first game was my first 'real' game with the system. Then I was off for a whole week. Tonight was a good game, but that was just one game."

Luckily for Bellemare, last night's 4-2 preseason win over the Rangers might have been all coach Craig Berube needed to see.

Bellemare was one of Berube's best players, bringing a much-needed spark to the fourth line with Zac Rinaldo and Jason Akeson.

"I was impressed tonight," Berube said. "He worked hard. He skated really well. He was smart. He was good on faceoffs. He killed penalties. He was a good player tonight."

Since Berube did not even coach the Flyers for their first preseason game in London, is a total of two games enough to make an impression worthy of a roster spot?

"I've got a good idea because of his speed," Berube said. "I thought he was competitive, too."

Bellemare, signed to a 1-year contract this spring after being spotted by Flyers scouting director Chris Pryor and head of pro scouting Dave Brown at the World Championships, could transform what is a traditional depth line to a scoring threat.

Last season, the Flyers' fourth line of Rinaldo, Adam Hall, Chris VandeVelde and Jay Rosehill combined for a total of eight goals and eight assists over 82 games.

If deployed in the right circumstances, Akeson, Rinaldo and Bellemare could obliterate those numbers in the first half of the season. Together, they would probably best the Flyers' most talented fourth line over the last decade.

"We move the puck well," Rinaldo said. "We've got a lot of speed on the line. It's dangerous. We're trying to create good habits and roll into the season on a good note."

Goaltender Ray Emery stopped 24 of 26 shots in his first full-length test of training camp. Emery was sidelined for most of the last week with a "lower-body" injury . . . The only regulars missing from the Flyers' lineup were Andrew MacDonald, Steve Mason, Nick Schultz and Jay Rosehill. Both Schultz and Rosehill could be frequent scratches this season . . . First-round pick Samuel Morin skated 18:40, playing in his fourth exhibition in as many nights. Craig Berube praised Morin's composure and physicality . . . Berube said the Flyers (3-3-1) will "do the best we can to get our full lineup in there" for their preseason finale tomorrow night in Washington.

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