After Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers coach John Tortorella made it clear that his players will not get ice time based on reputation and will have to earn it with merit. The Rangers dropped the game with their cross-river rivals in Newark at "The Rock" after what Tortorella called "two free ones" in the first period. With the impressive debut of 19-year-old forward J.T. Miller and the successful return of Chris Kreider, Torts sounded like some players might be losing time on the ice if they don't toughen up. "They're gonna probably take some people's jobs," Tortorella said after the team dropped to 4-5-0, "I'll tell you, with our hockey club right now, we have some guys that look scared to me, and tentative. "I'll tell you right now, we're not waiting." After falling into the early hole, the Rangers had an uphill battle against the Devils big-game goalie, Martin Brodeur. The 40-year-old Brodeur lives for these games. "It always feels good to play well against a big rival, in a big game," said the net minder who made 24 saves. Meanwhile, the Rangers veterans better watch out. "We have some guys that are playing very tentative, very careful," Tortorella said, "and we don't play careful hockey."
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February 05, 2013
