Jan 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Gregory Campbell (11) is knocked to the ice by New York Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel (41) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

In a few words no, Bickel should not be playing wednesday.

While Bickel isn’t the only Ranger having a poor start to the season, Bickel has been too much of a liability on the ice. His play has been shoddy at best and other teams have taken notice.

Steve Eminger or Matt Gilroy should be taking his spot in the lineup on wednesday. The team needs some sort of change, and Bickel is the most replaceable.

I have nothing against Bickel himself, and I think he performed admirably last season when called up to replace a couple injured guys in the lineup. There’s nothing not to like about him as a player (excluding his ability to play defense). I just think the Rangers would be better off though if they could see if Eminger can regain his prior form.

We’ll see what happens on wednesday, but the most important thing is the Rangers win.

Mar. 4, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) takes a shot on Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (30) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Rangers won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things a couple blogs and websites do for a pre-game post is write a few questions and see how the readers answer. That’s something I’m going to implement into my pre-game articles over here on Bluelinestation.

First things first though. I was thinking today “When was the last time the Rangers had such high expectations going into a season?” Then it hit me like a rock. 2007-08. The year of Drury and Gomez and the beginning of the end of Tom Renney as Rangers coach.

I searched the web for 2007-08 NHL season predictions. This is what I found from ESPN. Four out of the five panelists picked the Rangers to not only win the Atlantic Division, but the Eastern Conference as well. At least none of them picked the Rangers to actually win the Stanley Cup though, right?

I also remember vividly watching the home opener that year. The “We want the cup chants” that night were going on before the first puck of the season had been dropped. I think every Rangers fan feels awful looking back on that.

Anyway, on to my five questions.

1) Who scores the first Rangers goal of the season?

2) Do we see John Tortorella roll Rick Nash, Brad Richards, and Marian Gaborik at the same time at all?

3) Over/Under. Rick Nash blocks 2 shots tomorrow.

4) Michael Del Zotto and Stu Bickel paired together. Recipe for potential disaster?

5) Brandon Segal and John Tortorella. Is this just going to be a one night stand, or is there a relationship to be had here?

After the game tomorrow or today (depending on when your reading this) be sure to check back as I will have a full recap of the action.

Be sure to follow me on twitter @Bluelinestation.