Posted by Pierre LeBrun
ARLINGTON, Va./WASHINGTON -- I took a looksie at the New York Rangers bench this morning. Seems to me like the gaps between the glass panels were smaller and the area looked more fortified compared with the pictures I saw from the Game 5 incident with Rangers coach John Tortorella and the fans.
But a Verizon Center building manager insisted to me this morning all of it was the same.
"It's been the same for 11 years," said another arena staff worker.
The Rangers, meanwhile, arrived at the rink this morning to find the doors leading out to the ice surface locked. They finally got someone from the building to come and unlock them.
More gamesmanship!
Who's in?
Rangers coach John Tortorella would not confirm whether Russian rookie call-up Artem Anisimov or tough guy Colton Orr would replace the injured Blair Betts in the lineup for Game 7 tonight.
The betting money is on Anisimov, who had 37 goals in the AHL this season.
"It will be either him or Orrsie. I'm not sure," said Tortorella.
What's left to say?
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau minimized the importance of his Game 7 speech to his players.
"Quite frankly, how much is there to say," he said today after the morning skate. "When you're growing up on the playgrounds and the ice rinks, you're always thinking, 'Game 7, for the Cup.' This is not quite going for the Cup, but it's a Game 7. They'll all be excited to play."
Even though most people are picking Washington to win tonight, Boudreau expressed some nervousness.
"Winning three games in a row against a good team is a really difficult challenge," he said. "I don't know how we're going to respond. But I guarantee that the Rangers are going to play the best they've played all series long because Game 7s bring out the best in everybody. It should be a heck of a game."
Brashear reaction
Boudreau was obviously asked about Donald Brashear's six-game suspension for his two incidents from Game 6.
"I'm upset, disappointed is a better word," he said. "I can't figure it out and I don't think it's best for me to comment on that. It is what it is. As long as [the standard] is the same [for everyone], I guess that's what they're going for. We didn't think it would go that high, and we're disappointed in it, but what are you going to do?"
Will Clark return?
Boudreau did not confirm it, but it appears captain Chris Clark will be back in the lineup for the first time since late January. He could play on the fourth line with Eric Fehr and Boyd Gordon.
"I was told be ready, same as yesterday," Clark told reporters. "Hopefully I have a lot more jump. It's been a long time since I've played. I'll be the same as always. I don't get too up or too down. It's been a long time. It's almost been like having a second summer. I thought last year I was going to come back, too [for the playoffs]. So this year, hopefully it will come true."
Boudreau said there was a "good chance" Clark would play.
"I told Michael [Nylander] to be ready, too," said Boudreau. "Michael and Chris will both take the warm-up. We'll see how it goes."
If Clark goes in, there's always the risk he's rusty after not playing for so long.
"There's a difference between being fresh and being rusty, if he plays," said Boudreau. "Anybody who is put into a Game 7, they're not feeling any rust. They're feeling energy. They're feeling excitement like the rest of us."
Talkative Torts
Tortorella entertained the media with a 13-minute session this morning, something about Game 7 bringing out the best in him.
And yes, there was even a mention of former Rangers great Mark Messier.
"The guys understand the magnitude of this," said Tortorella. "We'll see what some guys have inside them here as we go along. I think it's the greatest thing about sports are these types of situations. Because some guys just thrive. A guy in this organization, Messier, just thrived in these types of situations. Other guys are hiding, are hiding. I'm not sure if we're going to have any guys hiding, but we'll find out. I don't have the answers right now."
One guy who has been hiding for most of the series is talented but enigmatic winger Nikolai Zherdev. He has zero points and is a minus-3 in six games. I asked Tortorella if Game 7 is a chance for Zherdev to redeem himself.
"Absolutely, and he's going to get an opportunity," said Tortorella. "I thought at times in Game 6, he was on the cusp of bringing some offense. And he turns one over early in the game that costs us right away. Those are the situations that we just need to simplify because he is a talented guy. And remember, this is his first playoff as a young kid. He's beginning to, or I hope he's beginning to learn what intensity you need. We've coached him along the way here. Has he stepped up? No. Tonight's a great opportunity.
"As we talked about, we wipe it clean. Games 1 through 6 mean nothing now. We're fortunate enough to be in a Game 7. This is where you can step up and say, 'You know what boys? I'm going to get it done for you tonight.' And I hope Nik has a good night."
The Rangers have young players like Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky getting their first taste of a Game 7 in the NHL. Sometimes that can be a good thing, not to know what it's like.
"Innocence is a great thing. It is," said Tortorella. "I hate talking about it because I'm with another team, but I was fortunate to be involved with it [in Tampa] and we didn't have a clue what we were doing. Because we didn't have a clue about the pressure.
"I don't think our team feels the pressure. We've got some young guys that haven't been involved in these types of situation. Like Zherdev, he doesn't have a clue. And I lived through that, watching a team not understand what was going on around them and they were having a blast."
Mistakes get magnified in Game 7s, but Tortorella hopes his team doesn't dwell on that.
"Game 7s, you can get yourself so wrapped up and say, 'Oh crap, this is Game 7.' And you go out and get paralyzed," he said. "Where it is a game of mistakes and both teams are going to make them. It's going to come up. If you make mistakes, we're going to need a big save at a key time. They're feeling the same thing. You need to allow yourself to play in this situation and not paralyze yourself."
Quick morning skate note
Only five players took part in the Rangers' optional skate -- Aaron Voros, Artem Anisimov, Fredrik Sjostrom, Colton Orr and Steve Valiquette.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
