Independent voices from the TWT Communities
In a span of five days, John Tortorella went from out of the playoffs to out of a job.
John Tortorella was defiant in stating that the New York Rangers didn't take a step back when they were knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round.
Tortorella was unexpectedly dismissed Wednesday with one year left on his contract. He led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals last year and into the second round this year before New York was eliminated in five games by the Boston Bruins.
Struggling Rangers center Brad Richards was a healthy scratch Thursday night when New York faced elimination in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Bruins.
Going into Monday night's deciding Game 7, Nash had just one assist amid plenty of speculation that he's playing through injury.
Against a team with a more functional power play, Washington would already be done. The Rangers are 2-for-26 with the man advantage (including 0-for-3 when up five-on-three) through six games.
Rick Nash had a goal and assist in the first period, and Ryan Callahan had a pair of assists as the New York Rangers hung on to eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
The NHL suspended Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta for five games Monday, its stiffest punishment of the season.
The New York Rangers made a big push in trading for Rick Nash to improve their chances of winning a championship for the first time since 1994.
Henrik Lundqvist finally found a game to play.
A lot of NHL players are satisfying their itch to play hockey during the lockout by signing overseas or in lower-level North American leagues.
The conversations have restarted in the ongoing NHL labor fight. The negotiations have not.
If the NHL and the players' association have run out of things to talk about, how can they ever find a way to make a deal to save the hockey season?
The Columbus Blue Jackets finally met captain Rick Nash's midseason request and dealt him Monday with a third-round pick and a minor-league defenseman to the New York Rangers for centers Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon and a first-round pick next year.
Rangers general manager Glen Sather is still having a tough time dealing with his top-seeded club's elimination in the Eastern Conference finals.
"I don't know if surprised is the right word for it," Richards said. "I'm disappointed."
He said being on the fourth line made it difficult for him to be effective.
