Looking for some direction from the heavens perhaps? – Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

Middletown, N. J. – Although our website and articles are obviously primarily geared towards all things New York Islanders, I’ve nevertheless decided to take a closer look at John Tortorella and the embattled New York Rangers, who now find themselves down three games to none in their Eastern conference semi-final series against the Boston Bruins.

People often look at writers/bloggers and think that we ‘know it all’ or are self-proclaimed experts. We here at Eyes do not lay stake to any of those claims. We are just passionate hockey fans who love writing, have proven to be fairly good at it, and enjoy sharing our opinions with tons of rabid fans.

Key word is opinion. No matter whether you agree or disagree, at the end of the day, that is all than can be said of the exercise that is blogging — a couple of  friends sitting around a local watering hole discussing hockey over a couple of drinks. We encourage friendly, respectful banter and disagreements with any of the opinions that we make.

The story of the evening after the loss to the Bruins from the fanbase of the Blueshirts was frustrating to say the least. I read tons and tons of comments that profess the Rangers ‘do not care’ and ‘were not trying’. The most infuriating was ‘they have no heart’.

I completely understand and respect how rabid and passionate fans can be but to say that someone, who does what only 800 IN THE ENTIRE WORLD can do at this level, is heartless is just naïve and ridiculous. Saying they are not trying is the most preposterous thing I have seen to date.

Sure, are there athletes out there who suffer from what I like to call ‘Alex Rodriguez’ syndrome, where they perform all season to a certain point of their career then suddenly they seem to be mailing in performances at the expense of a large paycheck; put up huge statistical totals in the regular season only to bomb out in the post-season? Absolutely. But the percentage of those players versus those who are the complete opposite is extremely minute. To make that claim about an entire roster? Nonsensical is what I would call that.

And the aforementioned does not ONLY pertain to the Rangers, for I have heard similar cries from just about every fanbase during the season when their team hits a rough spot. You as well Isles fans and those I am speaking of know exactly who you are.

To drive this home even mores, there was a great article posted by Sean McIndoe of Grantland on the different types of depressed sports fans. The piece was meant to tongue-in-cheek, but I’m SURE we can all relate or know someone who fits almost every category.

Expectations can really blind a fan if they are not kept at realistic levels. They can make a team seem much better or much worse than, in reality, they actually are.

Now that I have attempted to make a point, let’s take a look at the top reasons I believe John Tortorella should not be back behind the Rangers bench next season:

The Power Play

When Tortorella coached the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004, he had the leagues top unit for which he took accountability and unending credit. Now, with similar talent, he had the leagues 23rd ranked unit and now it’s faltering badly in the playoffs.

And to make matters worse, Tortorella refuses to make any adjustments (moving John Moore to quarterback the first unit) and is publicly berating players (Carl Hagelin) for stinking on the power play, somehow justifying why he is not on the ice when the suggestion was made by a reporter.

Scheme / System

Tortorella’s scheme implemented on Broadway is one that is way too reliant on defending, and it stifles a cohesive offensive attack placing tons of pressure on his defenseman, and especially goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

This system closely resembles the ‘rope-a-dope’ that Muhammad Ali implemented in his fabled boxing career. The shot blocking takes a tremendous toll. If you don’t believe me, run up and down your block once then come home and slide on your living room floor as if you are attempting to deflect a frozen rubber puck screaming at close to 98 miles per hour.

Now, I am not saying that SHOULDN’T be part of a defensive system, so don’t misunderstand. But when your scheme is to absorb and not react enough, it is a tremendous price to pay. See the overuse of his defenseman as a classic example.

Send In The Clowns

Torts and his run-ins with the media are legendary. And just as the reporters and credentialed bloggers are tiring of his act, so it seems are the players.

Pierre McGuire, who some like and more don’t, has a job to do as an NBC analyst. The coaches are contracted to talk to him once in the first period for about 30 seconds. But John does not seem to be able to do that consistently enough as a professional should.

Larry Brooks, also not a New York fan favorite, does not deserve to be doing his job and being told by Torts ‘Get the f&*k out of here!’ or ‘You were beat up a lot as a kid, weren’t you?’, ‘Are you challenging me?’ Simply not the classiest of individuals, or at the most, the less tactful of public figures, if you will.

His aforementioned attack on Hagelin was an absolute joke and his most recent bully tactic. Your power play is absolutely non-existent and needs a spark. So instead of taking accountability and making necessary changes, you publicly call out one of your fastest offensive weapons, saying ‘he stinks’ on the power play?

His constant refusal to let Marian Gaborik play his game led to the goal scorer craving for a fresh start out of New York and was subsequently dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yes, the Rangers did extract a nice return in Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore but with Moore already being under-utilized, one can ask ‘how long before the other two suffer the same fate?’

Fostering Youth

Here lies Tortorella’s hit or miss category. If you were to cite Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan as burgeoning talents that have fully benefited from Tortorella’s tutelage, you’d be entirely correct.

But I will, however, point to the blatant misuse of J.T. Miller,Chris Kreider and Moore this season as more of a focus on just how he can bury players deserving of ice time and more prominent roles.

On a team struggling to score there is no reason to have Miller sharpening his skills in the AHL, for he’s proven himself enough to remain at the top level, helping out the 3rd and 4th lines. Kreider, coming off his explosive performance in last years playoffs, has been effective this season as well, when he’s used.

Last night, after Anton Stralman and Hagelin suffered injuries, shortening the Rangers bench, Kreider remained glued to the bench, playing only 7:06 in the game, although to me, he looked like one of the most effective forwards all night.

Moore played 13:01 and continued to see no power play time, with Torts remaining committed to the horrendous Brad Richards , who seems to have both feet out the door even before the season ends,on the point on the first unit.

Playoff Performances

For all those who think Tortorella is a great coach for leading the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004 and guiding the Rangers to seasons of 38,44 and 51 wins before this season’s lockout shortened 26 remember this:

In the playoffs, he is 42-45 and in 8 playoff appearances; he has lost in the first round four times and this year will be his second loss in the semi-finals.

5 Reasons Why Jack Capuano Is Better Than Tortorella

• He has much better flow and obviously doesn’t even have a professional stylist.
• At 6’1 compared to Torts 5’8 I am sure he could kick his ass (And that is not an Adam Oates stretch)
• Cappy never picked up a nickname at U Maine but Torts did: ‘Paper Italian’ – ’nuff said.
• How can someone who looks like Peter Griffin not be better at everything?
• He hails from Rhode Island, 19% Italian versus Tortorella’s Boston, which is only 8%.

-AG

March 14, 2013; Tampa FL, USA; New York Islanders left wing Eric Boulton (36) skates with the puck as Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Teddy Purcell (16) defends during the first period at Tampa Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Astoria, NY – The New York Islanders offseason is in full swing. Well, kind of. Technically, general manager Garth Snow has been doing his thing, filling roster spots at both the AHL and NHL level by inking deals with Chris Bruton – formerly of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen; and with Eric Boulton – formerly of your NEW. YORK. IIIIIIISLANDERRRRRRRS.

(If you say that last line in the voice of the Coliseum’s public address announcer, it’s almost like you’re back at the Coli. Try it. Admit it, you smiled a little bit. OK, I’ll stop now.)

They might not be the flashiest free agent signings, but they’re important nonetheless. Snow doesn’t take days off, and what he’s done by signing both players to cost-effective, short-term deals is add depth to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ and the Islanders’ rosters alike.

The Twitter reaction to the Boulton deal was harsh. (After all, trials in the Court of Public Opinion are swift and absolute, are they not?) However, it’s important to note that Boulton was only signed at slightly above NHL minimum salary and brings toughness and a respected locker room presence to the team. Snow spending the bare minimum for a “glue guy” is fine by me.

As for Bruton, when the news of his signing broke yesterday, most people – yours truly, included – spent a few minutes asking, “Who?” before googling his name and realizing that his career numbers and two-way deal likely mean he’ll be a depth guy for the Sound Tigers, at best.

You can never have too many bodies, especially if you can get them on the cheap.

After all, 82-game seasons don’t lend themselves to teams staying 100 percent healthy for their duration. Think of Boulton and Bruton as items in a contingency plan: you hope you don’t have to use – or overuse – them, but they’re there just in case something goes wrong.

These guys won’t fill up the stat sheet, but they certainly fill a role.

-MW

Links

Fan Retrospective: Top 10 (EyesOnIsles)

Chris Bruton Joins the Islanders On One-Year Deal (Isles Optimism)

Niederreiter Hopes to Build On World Championship (NHL.com)

The 20 Types of Depressed Sports Fans (Grantland)

Floating Around The Twitter-Sphere

One media member: “I miss the Islanders.” I concur. #isles #rangers

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) May 22, 2013

Not even the press box at Madison Square Garden is immune from the Islanders “bug.” Considering the spark that the Isles gave the NHL postseason during their first-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it makes sense that the team would be missed now that it’s been eliminated. Whoever that media member was, I think he or she speaks for all of Isles Nation by saying that next year can’t come soon enough. 

Poor Henrik,the #ISLES would take better care of you.

— Rosstones (@Rosstones) May 22, 2013

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist put on a show again last night, only to be let down by his teammates on the offensive side of the puck. I’m sure that after an effort like that, Henrik can’t help but wonder what he has to do to get some scoring from his team. I’m just spitballing here, but if the Islanders are still putting up solid offensive numbers in two years, who knows…maybe The King looks at Brooklyn and decides he’d like a change of scenery.

We are down to the final four in the @easportsnhl covervote: Bobrovsky, Tavares, Datsyuk, & Brodeur. #LUMBUS #Isles #RedWings #NJDevils

— FiveForBoarding (@FiveForBoarding) May 21, 2013

In case you’ve been living under a rock, or you’re an NHL referee – kidding, kidding (kind of) – and you haven’t seen the results of the recent round of EA’s NHL 14 cover vote, the one and only John Tavares is among the four finalists. Keep voting for JT at covervote.nhl.com; let’s make sure the rest of the league knows that the face of the Islanders franchise has arrived.

how many @nyislanders shirts is too many? #oneforeveryday #isles twitter.com/itskerri/statu…

— Kerri (@itskerri) May 22, 2013

…then again, can you ever really have too many Islanders shirts?

Last Night In The NHL

Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers (BOS 3-0)

The Boston Bruins took control of their series against the New York Rangers with a 2-1 win in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, earning a 3-0 series lead on the strength of their gritty play.

The Rangers looked to be a step slow all game long, despite scoring the game’s opening goal. A Ryan McDonagh shot from the point was deflected past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask by Taylor Pyatt at 3:53 of the second period, but New York wasn’t able to make the lead stand up despite stellar play from their Vezina-caliber goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist.

Goals from Johnny Boychuk and Daniel Paille in the third period earned Boston a well-deserved victory. The Bruins controlled the pace of play for much of the game and killed off three penalties – as the Rangers’ power play woes continued – en route to the win.

Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Rangers fans are hoping that with their backs to the wall, their team will finally play to their potential. It would be a good time for New York to show up; their season depends on it.

Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks (Tied 2-2)

Brent Burns and Logan Couture scored for the San Jose Sharks as they beat the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 to even their best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

San Jose was the more aggressive team during the game and it showed on their first goal of the night, as captain Joe Thornton bore down on the forecheck and was able to find Burns not once, but twice in front of the net. Burns put home a second chance opportunity off a nice pass from Thornton to give the Sharks a lead they would not relinquish.

Sharks goalie Antti Niemi stopped 22-of-23 shots in the victory, outplaying Kings netminder Jonathan Quick for the second time in two games.

Both teams have defended home ice in this series so far; as the team travel back to Los Angeles for Game 5 Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. ET, it’s up to the Kings to hold serve at home, or risk going down 3-2 and having to face the crowd at the Shark Tank with the series on the line.

Bruins vs. Rangers game highlights…

Kings vs. Sharks game highlights…

As always, thanks for reading us at EyesOnIsles. Keep it right here for all of your NHL playoff coverage and Isles offseason news. Be sure to check the menu bar at the top of the page for ways to connect with the EyesOnIsles staff, as we’re always happy to talk hockey.