New York Rangers: John Tortorella Pushing the Right Buttons at Right Time

The New York Rangers' John Tortorella is widely considered to be a favorite to win the Jack Adams Award, which is handed out to the NHL's top bench boss each season. It seems that Tortorella is really pushing the right buttons at the right time as of late.

Some of these decisions included benching Brandon Dubinsky for making an inexcusable excuse during a road game against the Carolina Hurricanes and berating him to the media before a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning:

Tortorella would've scratched Dubinsky v Lightning if Rangers were healthy. nyp.st/wDY3M7

— Larry Brooks(@NYP_Brooksie) March 3, 2012

Dubinsky would later respond when the Rangers trailed late in the game and Tortorella gave him an opportunity to succeed. Dubinsky scored a game-tying goal which sent the game into overtime, earning the Rangers a much-needed point. 

That is just one situation that shows John Tortorella has a really good hold on the pulse of his team.

Most recently, Tortorella is looking like a genius after pairing Brad Richards back with Marian Gaborik and speedy rookie Carl Hagelin. Earlier this season the duo was paired together but didn't contribute, and Tortorella noted that when he talked to Andrew Gross of The Record:

"

Torts on early-season Gaborik-Richards pairing: "There was no chance. You could see it right away."

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) March 14, 2012"

Since the three players have been paired for two full games, the results speak for themselves. Carl Hagelin has three points (two goals and an assist), Richards has six points (four goals and two assists) and Marian Gaborik has five points (two points and three assists).

When the Rangers needed their stars to step up, Tortorella reunited Gaborik and Richards. Could it be that Tortorella held out pairing the two so they could remain fresh until the final stretch of the season? Maybe Tortorella wanted to save his two top forwards for a lengthy playoff run.

The Rangers' three-game skid now appears to be a thing of the past for the fans as a six-point divisional lead over Pittsburgh is reassuring heading into Thursday's matchup against the Penguins.

At this time of the season the contenders are starting to emerge and the pretenders slowly fade away.

The Rangers couldn't have asked for a better time for their team to start clicking. With Tortorella pushing the right buttons, is it possible that he will capture a second Jack Adams Award?

Right now the coach couldn't care less about that or his team's record as the Rangers continue down the final stretch of the regular season.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist.

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