"It doesn't mean squat," Tortorella said of regular-season success after Friday's 4-1 trouncing of Montreal, the Rangers' 50th victory. "You get measured by the playoffs."
Reporters following the Rangers roll their eyes when Tortorella answers any question about finishing first in the East or looking ahead to the postseason with "We're just trying to go about our business."
However rote it may sound, it is a truthful response. The Rangers have been concerned all season only about cutting down on errors, maintaining consistency and winning through hard work. The approach has worked remarkably well with a week to go in the regular season.
"We know we're at the top of the standings, but it's not something we're really that focused on," defenseman Michael Del Zotto said Friday, surprised to learn that the Rangers had just won for the 50th time. "We just want to peak come playoff time and get all the kinks out of our game."
The Rangers had their worst stretch of the season from March 2 through the end of a seven-game homestand on March 23, winning 5 of 12 games. It says a lot about the team that it slumped but did not collapse.
Nevertheless, the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Sidney Crosby back in a supercharged lineup, made up 9 points in the standings in March to cut the Rangers' conference lead to 1 point.
But the Rangers were not flustered. They just went about their business on a short trip and defeated three also-rans, Toronto, Minnesota and Winnipeg. Each game was scrappy and difficult; unlike the Penguins, the Rangers are no flying circus of highlight-reel scoring stars. They came home Friday and added a fourth straight win over last-place Montreal.
Sure enough, by the end of the month, the Rangers had all but deflected the Penguins' challenge.
Henrik Lundqvist's superb season was in danger after a 10-game stretch in March in which he managed only an .888 save percentage. But encouraged by Tortorella's giving him start after start so he could regain his rhythm, Lundqvist got back on track against the Wild, the Jets and the Canadiens, stopping 65 of 70 shots (.929).
The importance of the power play is grossly exaggerated; even-strength play has always been far more vital to a team's success. (It is just that announcers do not exclaim "It's an even-strength goal!") Nevertheless, the Rangers were distressed by their 29th-ranked power play enter their recent trip.
Their diligent approach may have fixed the problem. The Rangers scored two power-play goals against Winnipeg and then against Montreal, the first time all season they had done so in back-to-back games. On the ice for all four goals were Del Zotto, Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards and Derek Stepan.
The Rangers without an effective power play have been hard enough to beat this season. Having a strong power play makes them all the more intimidating.
The Rangers rank high in the categories they are proudest of. They lead the league in hits by a wide margin. For those who think the scorers at Madison Square Garden are overly generous to the Rangers, they rank fifth in hits at home but first on the road. In blocked shots they are No. 2, an eyelash behind the Islanders.
The tone is set by three of the team's best players. Callahan, the captain and winner of the fan vote for the player who gives the most effort, is second in blocked shots among N.H.L. forwards. The Rangers' top defense pairing, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, are tied for No. 5 in shot-blocking at their position.
Girardi represents the team's grit, having spent seven pro seasons working his way to All-Star status after going undrafted out of juniors. McDonagh, 22, represents its youth; in 118 N.H.L. games, he has a remarkable plus-44 mark.
The Rangers' last four games will be a final test before they enter the postseason caldron. They face the Bruins at home Sunday night. Then they travel to play the Flyers on Tuesday and the Penguins on Thursday before coming home to close the regular season against the Capitals on Saturday.
The Rangers have gone 12-4 against those four opponents this season: 5-0 over Philadelphia, 3-0 over Boston and 2-1 over Washington, with a losing record against only Pittsburgh, at 2-3.
But they can wrap up the Eastern Conference title on Sunday if the Penguins lose at home to Philadelphia in the afternoon and the Rangers beat Boston at night.
Then, or later in the week, the playoff picture will be clear. And that has been Rangers' focus all along.
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