In this space, just yesterday, the point was made that, due to the potentially extended loss of defenseman Marc Staal, it would be incumbent upon the second line of Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky and Captain Ryan Callahan to compensate by producing offensively. The thinking was that with more overall offensive production the Rangers' depleted defense corps would not be expected to carry as much of a load.
This would additionally reduce the pressure on the top line combination of Brad Richards and Marion Gaborik, playing with whomever reveals themselves over time to be worthy of that role, as they are likely to face the opposition's top checking lines more often than not.
One game into the season, it appears as if Rangers head coach John Tortorella has different ideas regarding line compositions, as for last night's matchup with Los Angeles he moved LW Dubinsky off the second unit and placed him on the first line with Richards and Gaborik.
This is Tortorella's team, of course, and undoubtedly he has the most knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of his players, but keep in mind that this also is the same coach who had Mar ...
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Article written by Joseph Browne
New York Rangers: Coach Tortorella Has Lines Crossed Already
October 8th, 2011 by Joseph Browne Leave a reply »
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