It’s killing Bobby Holik that he won’t be able to play tonight when his new team, the Rangers, visits his old team, the Devils, for the first time this regular season.

But not because the opponent is the Devils.

“Any missed game bothers me,” Holik said after he sat out of practice yesterday.

He hasn’t played in the Rangers’ last 11 games because of a hip-flexor injury.

“The fact that it’s the Devils is the last thing I’m worried about,” he said.

Assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld didn’t completely believe Holik.

“It might have a little extra sting to it,” said Schoenfeld, who ran practice because coach Bryan Trottier was still suffering from a bad back.

“When you leave an organization, it’s hard the first time you come back, especially when you’re an abrasive player.”

Still, there’s no doubt Holik already has plenty on his mind. Always known for his toughness and durability, he has been unable to display either trait since coming to the Rangers, and he admitted that it was getting to him.

“I’m not doing what I’m here to do,” said Holik. “It’s hard enough to handle this without worrying about who we’re playing. I’m getting better, just not fast enough. I just want to be on the ice.”

And he remains unsure about when that might happen.

“Realistically, maybe the early part of next week,” Holik said about when he could start skating again. “I just have to be patient. There are a lot of games left.”

That doesn’t mean it will be easy.

“It’s hard,” Holik said. “If it was a broken bone, the doctors could tell me six weeks, but this, you just have to wait.”

The fact he won’t be playing has taken away any excitement Holik might have had for this match. Even though he feels most of the drama was over once he played his old team during the preseason, he still was looking forward to playing in front of his old fans.

“I would have liked the interaction,” said Holik, who will attend the game, but didn’t know where he would watch from in the arena. “But I need to get on the ice first before I think about any of that stuff.”

As for the fans he does come across before the game, Holik isn’t worried.

“I’m not going to wear a mask to disguise myself,” Holik said.

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Rangers could also be without Trottier again tonight. The coach still was suffering from back spasms that caused him to miss Tuesday night’s win over the Mighty Ducks. He won’t know until today if he’ll be able to coach. Schoenfeld hopes he is.

“I’d much rather he was here,” Schoenfeld said. “We’re just steering his ship and doing what we think he’d want done behind the bench. I think we’re much better with him here.”

Trottier was in contact with the coaching staff between periods during the Anaheim match.