Coming back against the defending Stanley Cup champions is a daunting task, but Torts is rolling with the punches - hoping for some postgame relaxation after Game 4.
"You know what we're thinking? I just want them to be able to put that goddamn radio on after tonight's game," Tortorella said, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"They play this crap for music whenever you come in after a game. I want them to be able to put that on and just jam with it."
Postgame tunes have been a rarity for Columbus of late, losing six of its final seven games in the regular season and then suffering three straight defeats to begin the playoffs.
Whether the Blue Jackets get the opportunity for a jam session is up in the air, but whatever transpires, we can only imagine Tortorella's dance moves.
The best round of playoffs in all of sport is upon us - and I've ranked the five hottest goalies out of the gate in descending order:
5. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
I am enjoying the resurgence of the NHL’s best teammate. I say that because last season, Fleury had to watch Matt Murray take his job and run with it to a Stanley Cup victory. Only another goalie would know how hard that is to sit there, night after night, wanting to play as the other guy takes center stage.
How do you be a good teammate when you want to play, but knowing that if the other goalie plays well, you may never see the net again? Through it all he never complained and has always had the team's best interest in mind. He’s playing like a champion again, and I’m positive Las Vegas is watching.
4. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
There is no way I could leave the world’s best goaltender off this list. There isn’t a more consistent goalie in the National Hockey League. Anytime Price is in net, the Canadiens have a chance to win.
I think back to Game 2, when the Rangers had the Canadiens on the brink of going home down two games to zero. Price was a brick wall, stopping all nine shots in the third and then another eight in overtime. The Canadiens scored late to tie it and went on to win in OT. I’m reminded of Grant Fuhr who, when the game was on the line, was a rock. Price is in that league.
3. Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Of all the No. 1 goalies in this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Talbot is the most unproven. But he has been cool and calm, posting back-to-back shutouts against the San Jose Sharks.
I, for one, questioned the move when the Oilers acquired him to shore up their goaltending and anointed him the No. 1. I’m happy to say he has proven me wrong - and the rest of the league might want to look out. With the quality of goaltending Talbot is providing, Edmonton is for real.
2. Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
The last time I saw a Blues goalie dominate like this in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in 1993, when Curtis Joseph was tending goal. En route to a 4-0 sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks, Joseph had two shutouts and stopped 134 of 140 shots to single-handedly eliminate the Blackhawks.
Allen has eerily been a mirror image of Joseph. His athleticism, positioning, and work ethic are similar to Joseph’s - and have the Blues in position to knock off the Minnesota Wild in four straight. Allen is the reason the Blues traded Brian Elliot, as they thought in the long run Allen would be the better goalie. It’s nice to see him reward the organization for believing in him.
1. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Shutting out the powerhouse Blackhawks in back-to-back games to open their first-round series is no small feat. Add in the fact that Rinne did it in Chicago, in one of the most intimidating road buildings to play in, and this is the type of goaltending the Predators have been waiting for.
Rinne has long been one of the top five regular-season goalies in the National Hockey League. That’s great, but the playoffs are when you make a mark as one of the best. Rinne has never made it past the second round. This could be the year.
Phil Hammerstein spent three hours Friday night getting a 1950s-style pinup of the Penguins forward riding a hot dog, with a bottle of mustard in one hand and the Stanley Cup in the other.
"Big Phil just clicked with Pittsburghers - chubby dude with a comb-over and penchant for street weenies, dry humor, bad breath, tries hard and loves the game," Hammerstein told Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy of his reasoning behind getting the tattoo. "Plus I have buddies in southern Ontario to troll."
Hammerstein is presumably referring to a highly criticized story written by Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons after Kessel was traded from the Maple Leafs in 2015, which claimed he visited the same hot dog stand almost every afternoon.
The Anaheim Ducks' defensive depth is a well-known strength for the club, and it's showing in spades with the emergence of Shea Theodore through three games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With top-four regulars Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen on the shelf with injuries, Theodore, 21, has played a massive role in Anaheim's commanding 3-0 series lead over the Calgary Flames.
After recording just nine points in 34 games this season, Theodore's produced five points in three playoff contests, including two goals in the Ducks' improbable Game 3 comeback. He ranks first among defenseman in postseason scoring, and sits tied for second overall in the early going.
More importantly for the Ducks - should his offensive production cool off, which is a rather likely scenario - Theodore's all-around impact has been strong.
In Games 1 and 3, he led all Ducks blue-liners in Corsi For percentage, posting marks of 56.67% and 58.33%. Fittingly, he's seen an increase in ice time as the series has progressed, reaching 22:19 on Monday night.
Unless Calgary can become the fifth team in NHL history to erase a 3-0 series deficit, Anaheim is staring at an opportunity for added rest before Round 2. Meanwhile, the thought of adding Fowler and Vatanen back into a D-corps that's already firing on all cylinders is likely an imposing one for the rest of the Western Conference.
The Ottawa Senators defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime on Monday night to take a 2-1 series lead, and some fans at TD Garden had a difficult time containing their emotions afterward.
One individual was caught on video throwing debris at Senators players as they made their way off the ice, while another tried to snatch Chris Wideman's stick right out of his hands.
The Calgary Flames squandered a major opportunity to gain life in their first-round series versus the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 on Monday, letting a 4-1 lead slip away in regulation before losing in overtime.
"I have to own that, Elliott told TSN's Jermain Franklin. "The guys spotted four goals and we should win a game like that."
The Flames were up by three goals with under a minute to play in the second period, but Shea Theodore scored twice and Nate Thompson once to force extra time. Then, just 1:30 into overtime, Corey Perry gave Anaheim a 3-0 series lead.
"You want to help the team more than you hurt it and it's tough to swallow right now," Elliott said.
Calgary has lost all three games by a single goal, and will aim to avoid a sweep Wednesday night.
