Flyers' Giroux shakes off the rust in preseason debut

Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux registered two shots on goal in 17 minutes of ice time in his preseason debut Tuesday against the New York Rangers, and said it was an important first step in terms of getting up to speed prior to the team's season opener on Oct. 8.

"I forgot how fast the game is," Giroux told Philly.com. "The first period, I was pretty lost. I wasn't sure what was going on. Slowly, I got the puck moving. It was good to get a game under my belt. I felt good."

Head coach Craig Berube intentionally limited Giroux's ice time, and didn't seem particularly impressed with his play.

"He was rusty. In all areas. He hasn't played," Berube said. "He had some good jump in the first period, I thought. He did some good things. He hasn't played. He hasn't even done a whole lot in camp. His hands are always above average, but his skating legs, his positioning (looked rusty)."

Most importantly, Giroux said there was "nothing negative" about how he felt after the game and the 2014 Hart Trophy finalist appears on track for a healthy start to the regular season.