Anthony Duclair turning heads and filling nets

Few would have guessed that 19-year-old Anthony Duclair would have made it this far in training camp, but the youngster nicknamed "The Duke" will play on.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault praised Duclair again after he scored his third goal of the preseason in the Rangers' 4-2 loss here Tuesday night. "A lot of things are standing out," said Vigneault, including his speed, poise, and ability "to make those short little passes."

So Duclair, who scored 50 goals for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior League last season, won't be among the approximate 10 cuts Wednesday as the Rangers trim the roster to about 33, including 18 "healthy" forwards, nine or 10 defensemen and two goalies: Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot. Derek Stepan, Ryan Malone and Matthew Lombardi are recovering from injuries.

There is little doubt that Duclair has been the most intriguing story of September. Before the game, Vigneault said that he opened eyes in the entire organization. "He might start with us. He might go back to junior," Vigneault said. "After five, six games, we might say we're going to keep him . . ."

After Tuesday night's game, Duclair was asked whether he is getting direction from the coaching staff.

"They let me play," said Duclair, who fared well against an experienced Flyers squad in his biggest test of the preseason. "They want to see how I adapt to certain situations without telling me what's going on."

Early in the third period, Dom Moore found Duclair alone in the lower left circle and the left wing wasted no time in beating Ray Emery just 36 seconds in to trim the Flyers' lead to 3-2. It was his only shot on a night in which he played 16:23. On an earlier two-on-one, his pass just missed connecting with Kevin Klein, who was heading for the net.

In his three games, Duclair has been ranked among the top three stars, as voted by the attending media, two in road buildings. No. 3 Tuesday, No. 2 star against the Flyers on Monday, No. 1 against Chicago on Friday.

One question is whether Duclair, 5-11 and about 185 pounds, can stand up to the rigors of NHL games night after night during the season, when the intensity ratchets up. He is not eligible to play in the AHL at 19, so it's either here or Quebec.

Blue notesDefenseman Michael Kostka led all Blueshirts with five shots; Danny Kristo had four . . . C Chris Mueller won 9 of 11 faceoffs, best on the squad . . . The Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play while five-on-four, and 0-for-1 on a five-on-three for 25 seconds. They are scheduled to practice at noon Wednesday.