Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants reports that John Tortorella singled out Chris Higgins and Marc Staal for their outstanding play last night against the Bruins...
On Higgins...
"I thought he was one of our strongest players on the puck, especially in the second half of the game," Tortorella said. "If we're going to be a good team and a competitive team, he needs to be a goal-scorer for us. He needs to be a penalty killer for us. He needs to be a top six forward for us and he needs to accept responsibility for that. Tonight was a good sign. I thought he played really hard on the puck, at both ends. That line - Drury's line - was probably one of our best lines. He needs to be an important guy if we're going to compete."
...like I said last night, I was very excited with Higgins goal because a Ranger player actually stood in front of the net and banged home a rebound. A scarce occurrence last season.
On Staal's offense, which the coaching staff wants more of...
"I think it's coming natural," Tortorella said. "He's going to get some power-play time, too. When you give defensemen some power-play time, they feel more comfortable coming up the ice 5-on-5. Getting up the ice, it changes their outlook on their game. When you talk about Higgins and responsibility, that's something we have to give (Staal) responsibility."
...i always felt that Staal was being held back offensively, not sure if it was Renney or just Staal focusing on his defense but I'm looking forward to see him take a more active role in the offense this year.
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