League to Check Rinks’ Condition

Responding to complaints about the ice surface at the Pond of Anaheim and other arenas, the NHL said it will begin periodic checks of the conditions.

Players have blamed the ice for groin and abdominal injuries, mentioning the Pond, the CoreStates Center in Philadelphia and New York’s Madison Square Garden as having the worst conditions.

“Nobody has formally complained,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, “but if it’s an issue, we’ll try to deal with it, and we’ll take a look.”

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Warren Rychel couldn’t remember getting a fighting penalty by himself, but it happened against Buffalo. Rychel popped Buffalo’s Matthew Barnaby with two quick lefts after Barnaby slashed him. Instead of fighting back Barnaby seemed stunned by Rychel’s blows.

“How do I get five minutes fighting myself?” asked Rychel, who received five minutes for fighting and a game misconduct while Barnaby got only two minutes for slashing.

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Not in the lineup: Enforcers Shawn Antoski (strained hip) and Ken Baumgartner (sprained ankle), right wing Roman Oksiuta and Nikolai Tsulygin (both coach’s decision). . . . The start of tonight’s game at Pittsburgh has been pushed back to 5 p.m. PST to accommodate TV.