"It will be five weeks tonight since Brian Rolston launched this plague of Devils injuries by spraining - badly, he says - his right ankle against the corner boards in Atlanta.

The Devils' No. 1 center and biggest-ever free-agent acquisition still isn't sure when he'll be back.

"I'm feeling good, back on the ice, just skating by myself, with a stick, getting my strength, taking it slow," Rolston said yesterday as the Devils readied for tonight's game with the Panthers in Newark (7:00, MSG+, WFAN). "It's going to take me a little bit to get back (conditioning-wise).

"As far as my ankle, at this point it feels real good. It gets stronger every day, so we add a little more intensity every day."

Rolston did allow that he still feels the sprain, suffered Oct. 16 when he tried to turn at full speed in the corner, fell and slammed his right skate straight into the boards.

"There's a little bit (of discomfort). The biggest thing is having the strength to be on the ice. That's all-important," he said. "It's an old-fashioned ankle sprain. I don't know what a high ankle sprain is and I'm not sure what a low ankle sprain is.

"But it was a bad one."

It could have been worse.

"There are no torn ligaments," Rolston said. "I had an MRI done and there was nothing torn.

"But it was compromised, for sure. It's your basic ankle sprain, and a lot of times, it's better to break it, you know it's 4-6 weeks and you'll be back." "