BOSTON — For the first time in the playoffs, Rangers coach John Tortorella decided to split up his top defensive pair of Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh in deference to his opposition’s depth.
In last night’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden, Tortorella paired Girardi with Michael Del Zotto and McDonagh with Anton Stralman, while the third pair remained John Moore and Steve Eminger.
This is a strategy that Tortorella often employed down the stretch of the regular season when facing teams with more than just one dominant line. Most thought the Girardi-McDonagh combo would match up against the David Krejci-Milan Lucic-Nathan Horton line, just as they did against Alex Ovechkin’s line in their seven-game first-round series win over the Capitals.
“You have to try and contain them, but they have great depth throughout their lineup,” McDonagh said about the Bruins on Wednesday. “So you don’t have focus on one group.”
Although not hopping over the boards together, Girardi (32:05) and McDonagh (31:59) still led the team in total ice time.
* Defenseman Marc Staal did not travel with the Rangers, and it’s unknown if the plan is for him to come here at all. The most recent time Staal skated with the team was Monday morning before Game 7 in Washington, with the team having a day off on Tuesday and Staal not participating in on-ice practice on Wednesday.
There is no known timetable for his return.
* The Bruins played without defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ferrence and former Ranger Wade Redden. All of them are injured, and there was no update given from coach Claude Julien except that they’re out.
Rookie blue-liner Torey Krug, who was just called up from AHL Providence, played his second career NHL game and scored his first goal to tie it 2-2 early in the third.
* Rangers forward Ryane Clowe remained out for the third straight game with what is presumed to be his second concussion in the past two weeks, sustained in Game 5 of the first round.