Flyers' Gagne healthy

Simon Gagne was cleared for full activity Saturday, 10 days after the Philadelphia Flyers forward was knocked out of a game and sidelined with vision problems and dizziness.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said Gagne passed his baseline tests and was expected to practice with the team today. If all goes well, he is expected to play Monday against the New York Rangers.

KASPARAITIS LOANED TO RUSSIA: Veteran defenseman Darius Kasparaitis is leaving the American Hockey League to join SKA St. Petersburg of the Russian Super League.

The 35-year-old Kasparaitis played four games this season with the New York Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford, Conn., and was loaned by the Rangers on Saturday to St. Petersburg.

STICK IN THE EYE: New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro was struck in the right eye by the stick of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the second period Saturday night and didn't return.

New York coach Ted Nolan said DiPietro was hit in the eye, but added that he was able to walk out of Nassau Coliseum following the 3-2 victory.

MASKED MAN: Back in 1959, the buzzing crowd in New York knew the man behind the mask was Jacques Plante, they just couldn't believe the Montreal Canadiens' star goalie was going to play while wearing it.

Nearly a half-century later, it is hard to imagine a goalie not wearing one with lavish designs that show off the various personalities of the quirky men who take the most dangerous of positions.

Thursday marked the 48th anniversary of that fateful night when Plante was hit in the face by a shot off the stick of Rangers forward Andy Bathgate 3:06 into the first period. The puck opened a severe cut from his mouth to his nose and sent the All-Star netminder to the ice in a pool of blood.

He was stitched up and later returned. Only this time, he had to do it with the mask that he had only worn in practice.

To the dismay of Canadiens coach Toe Blake, who wasn't a fan of the mask, Plante became the first to take the ice with his face protected.

SCORING EARLY: Never in 20 seasons had Brendan Shanahan been credited with a goal before he hit the ice for warm-ups.

Stick around long enough and who knows what you might see.

Shortly before the New York Rangers took on the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, Shanahan, 38, was awarded a goal that had been scored two nights earlier.

"That's a first for me in 20 years that it takes an off-ice official three days to make a decision," he said.