John Tortorella wants the instigator rule removed from the book as it currently stands.
The Rangers’ head coach expressed that opinion after Matt Cooke elbowed Artem Anisimov in the head at 7:34 of the third period of last night’s 8-3 defeat to the Penguins and escaped all punishment other than—get this—a two-minute penalty for interference.
Anisimov, who lost his helmet and went to the ice hard after absorbing the blow on which Cooke appeared to leave his feet, remained on the bench for the duration of the game.
“The big thing this year is head shots and what the league is going to do about it, but to me it’s pretty simple,” Tortorella said. “There’s no fear at all [of] retribution.
“That’s why there’s more violence. Guys hide behind the rule book.”
As it currently stands, a player who responds with fisticuffs to a blow to the head against a teammate is in line to receive a two-minute penalty for instigating, five minutes for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct.
Donald Brashear attempted to engage Cooke upon his release from the penalty box but a linesman interceded while the Pittsburgh winger did his best to turtle. Brashear was given a double minor for roughing while Cooke escaped a penalty. Ryan Callahan challenged Cooke just over two minutes later. Both players earned fighting majors and game misconducts.
“The linesman jumps in [with Brashear] when it should have been left alone,” said Tortorella. “That’s where it’s screwed up.”
Two weeks ago, Chris Drury was concussed on an unpenalized blow to the chin. Last night, the captain asked one of the referees what it takes to get a five-minute major.
“’Not that,’” is how the captain relayed the answer.
Cooke may face a suspension from NHL VP Colin Campbell before tomorrow night’s rematch at the Garden.
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Not long ago Tortorella’s flavor of the month, Enver Lisin dressed but did not play so much of a second last night, remaining nailed to the pine for the full 60 minutes.
“If I had someone else I would have taken him out of the lineup,” said Tortorella, who did scratch Brian Boyle to make room for Aaron Voros. “It’s part of the process of a player understanding what he needs to do.”
Before the match, Tortorella said that Lisin—who has played seven games on the team’s top line—had not responded to the coaching staff’s attempts to work with and educate him. That, of course, was the knock on him in Phoenix last year when he was known as “Never Listen.” The Rangers acquired the speedy No. 81 from the Coyotes over the summer for Lauri Korpikoski.
“The coaches have spent a lot of time with him but it has to be a two-way street,” Tortorella said. “The player has to listen, understand and apply. I don’t think we’ve seen a two-way street.”
Lisin, who has three goals and five assists, is pointless in his last 12 games just as he was pointless on the bench.
Ales Kotalik, named in the same breath as Lisin by Tortorella following the match, played only 11:09, including 4:02 in the third. Kotalik, who has six points (1-5) in his last 14 games, is minus-13 in his last 17 matches.
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All three Ranger goals were scored by defensemen, with Marc Staal getting one in the first, Matt Gilroy in the second and Michal Rozsival in the third…Michael Del Zotto was minus-five in 21:34. It was Del Zotto who inadvertently deflected Mark Eaton’s drive from the left point past Steve Valiquette with three-tenths of a second remaining in the second period to give Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead.
Rangers, who have dropped two straight, are 2-2 in their last four, 2-4 in their last six, 5-9 in their last 14 and 6-11-1 following their 7-1 getaway…The Blueshirts have lost seven straight in regulation in Pittsburgh since Nov. 17, 2007. They’ve lost 10 straight here including the second round of the 2008 playoffs.