The New York Rangers are known for their consistently inconsistent
offense. One thing you can always count
on when the team fails to score is that coach John Tortorella will put the
lines in the blender and start over again, which he did today at practice. Katie
Strang of ESPN New York tweeted the lines:
Wolski-Christensen-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Richards-Callahan
Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust
Newbury-Anisimov-Stepan
There are few nice things to say about these line
combinations. What it really shows is
how discombobulated the Rangers skill set is throughout their lineup as they
have two elite talents that can show up each night, two that have it and no
heart, five grinders they rely on and two young players looking to keep
developing.
The Boyle line was the only one to survive this time, which
is not surprising with Tortorella as that line is foundational for him. Seeing Wolksi get a chance with Gaborik is
something many have called for, but I doubt few if any wanted to see it happen
with Christensen as the third member of the top line. Seeing Christensen get yet another shot on
the top line is painful and something that was supposed to end when Brad
Richards signed with New York over the summer.
Having Anisimov and Stepan toiling on the fourth line, even if both are
struggling, is also frustrating because they are not going to develop or snap
out of their funk playing the limited minutes Tortorella uses his fourth line.
