New York Rangers: John Tortorella Needs to Be Consistent for Team Success

Lets rewind to the New York Rangers embarrassing performance against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Rangers were simply outplayed and were shutout 2-0 against a team that appeared to be inferior on paper.

Rangers’ bench boss John Tortorella was short and sweet. Actually Tortorella was really short, 16 seconds to be exact, when he addressed the media post game.

"

“This is gonna be really quick. I am not taking any questions. We sucked from head to toe and we need to move by it. So I’m not going to dissect with you guys. I know you have to do your job, but I’m not answering any questions. OK?”

"

Many fans questioned Tortorella for not addressing the media. Twitter was rampant with commentary from many fans, writers, and even Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Ron Wilson.

@coachrw63Ron WilsonImpressive Torts! U just set a new presser record at 16 secs. I'm going to break that record!

23 Oct via Twitter for iPhone  Favorite  Retweet  Reply

Adam Proteau of The Hockey News also chimed in on the situation.

@ProteautypeAdam ProteauIf Tortorella was as disinterested with the press when he was between coaching gigs, I could forgive it. But he wasn't, so I can't.

9 hours ago via TweetDeck Favorite  Retweet  Reply

 This is the same coach who preaches “safe is death, being accountable for your actions, and playing consistent. Some questioned why Tortorella simply was hypocritical when he had his 16 second spiel.

Jay Feaster, current GM of the Calgary Flames and former GM of Tortorella in Tampa, had this to say.

"

"So Torts made himself the story. Rather than anyone talking about Nik (Khabibulin) or about how badly we'd played, the focus was on that Shut Your Yap-Gate! with Hitch (Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock). All premeditated. He's a master at manipulating situations in his team's best interests.''

"

So if that was the case, Tortorella’s plan worked. Fans and the media spent more time talking about Tortorella than the team’s play against the Oilers. However the Rangers trend of inconsistency carried over tonight. Yes, the Rangers defeated the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 2-1 tonight but they won on a fluke goal. 

The Rangers won this game because of sheer luck and the outstanding goaltending of Martin Biron. There was a stretch in the third period when the Rangers were scrambling for their lives. They could not clear the puck. Biron made save after save and finally the puck was cleared and Ruslan Fedotenko drew a penalty.

For John Tortorella and the Rangers to score goals and succeed, they need to keep line together.

At different times throughout the night, these combinations made up the first line.

Combo One

Derek Stepan | Brad Richards | Marián Gáborik

Combo Two

Ruslan Fedotenko | Brad Richards | Marián Gáborik

Combo Three

Brandon Prust | Brad Richards | Brian Boyle

Know Your Role!

How can the team have balanced lines with all the changes and inconsistencies? For the most part the line of Stepan-Richards-Gáborik has looked good. There is no reason to break up this line. Maybe throwing Wojtek Wolski back up there while Stepan catches a breather would be fine but other than that, Tortorella needs to leave the line alone. 

The battery and line of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan has not gotten off to a great start. Dubinksy and Anisimov are goalless so far and had it not been for an errant Jet skate, Callahan would be as well. This line needs to pull through for the Rangers. This line shouldered the load this year, so there is no reason why they shouldn’t be performing with less pressure on them.

The Rangers’ third line has looked solid so far. Prust brings a physical and offensive spark at all times during the game. He can win a fight, kill a penalty and score a short-handed goal when the team needs him to do so. 

Ruslan Fedotenko scored a key goal tonight on the power play after a nice feed from Dan Girardi. If he can continue his solid play it will help the Rangers. Brian Boyle hasn’t looked great or bad so far this season. He has flown under the radar for the most part. The first round draft pick will need to live up to his skill-set.

The fourth line has been a melting pot of characters. Wolski, Eric Christensen, Mike Rupp and Kris Newbury have all spent time on the fourth line. This line receives minimal ice time. If this line can make smart decisions when they are on the ice, Tortorella will be more apt to give the line more ice time.

What’s Wrong With The Power Play?

Outside of Brad Richards and Marián Gáborik, the players used on the power play have looked lost. The Rangers have capitalized three times on the man advantage, two of which came against Winnipeg, out of 28 possible chances.

The Rangers need to shoot more. Everyone seems to be too polite. The Rangers will look to make a pass and will wait for the perfect seam. How many goals did the Rangers give up off a deflection last year?

On the power play the off wing forward can cheat down. Why the Rangers are playing deep on the power play is mind boggling. If they only would gradually creep in, passes would be quicker and shorter and more shots could be generated. Brad Richards has done a great job passing but he needs to get selfish and start shooting the puck.

Outside of Gáborik, Richards has the best shot on the team and he needs to use it. Whether it comes from one of the points or by the face-off circle, when Richards gets space and a good look, he usually scores.

Speaking of Gáborik, many fans want to know why he only played about four minutes in the third period. Was he benched because of his play? This would be a joke because Gáborik has been the Rangers’ most dynamic forward this season. Hopefully Gáborik didn’t sustain an injury of sorts. That would be a devastating blow to his hot start. Hopefully there will be more information after the Rangers’ next practice.

Next Game

The Rangers are finally coming home to the "World’s Most Famous Arena” when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday at Madison Square Garden..

The Rangers have been on the road since the beginning of the season. They have traveled from Stockholm to Long Island, back on the road to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and finally Winnipeg. The Rangers will have their home opener in a newer Garden. MSG will continue to be renovated during the next four offseasons.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are led offensively by the league leader in goals Phil Kessel (nine) and hope to have James Reimer in net. 

Original Six matchups are always fun to watch so this one should be no different.

Comments, Questions, Concerns?

What are your opinions on the Rangers power play? What should they do to fix it?

Leave a comment or question in the section below to get the conversation going.

Tom Urtz Jr is an NHL Featured Columnist. For more NHL free-agent news, updates and alerts about players: