Apr 8, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel (81) scores the game winning goal on New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) during the third period at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated New York 4-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Toronto Maple Leafs moved 4 points up on the Senators in 5th place, but also defeated the Rangers (and in regulation no less) to keek the blueshirts 2 points behind Ottawa.  Phil Kessel scored twice with Ryan O’Byrne and James van Riemsdyk also scoring for the Leafs.  Rick Nash had a pair for the Rangers and Derek Stepan scored the other.
2. Boston slammed shut any Carolina hopes of making the playoffs with a dominant 6-2  beatdown of the Hurricanes.  Dennis Siedenberg had three assist for the Bruins, with Brad Marchand scoring a pair.  Nathan Horton, Rich Peverley, Jordan Caron and Andrew Ference also scored for Boston, who chased Justin Peters from the Hurricanes’ net after just 4 shots (2 of them goals).  Patrick Dwyer and Drayson Bowman scored for the Canes.
3. The Flames won away from home for the first time in over 2 months, beating the Avalanche 3-1.  Roman Cervenka, Michael Cammalleri and Alex Tanguay did the damage for Calgary, after Brad Malone had scored his first NHL goal for the Avs. The win snapped a 13 game winless streak for the Flames away from the Saddledome.
4. Surprise starter Cory Schneider made 19 saves for the shutout and Ryan Kesler scored the winner in his first game back in the lineup as the Canucks blanked the Coyotes 2-0.  Dan Hamhuis had the other Vancouver goal into an empty net, as Mike Smith made 40 saves to keep his team in the game.
5. Radek Dvorak scored both Anaheim goals as they downed the Oilers 2-1.  Nick Schultz had the Oilers goal, and was roundly jeered all night by Ducks fans who mistook him for Justin Schultz, who famously snubbed the Ducks to become an unrestricted free agent last spring.

That concludes our daily tour around the NHL.  Lots of games of importance on Tuesday, including the Senators at the Lightning and the Flyers visiting the Islanders.  Check back tomorrow for a full recap.

Jan. 29, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella reacts behind the bench against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Rangers win 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Could last night’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets be the final straw?  The Rangers have lost 6 in a row, and are in a pack that have been separated from the 7th seed by 5 points now, which in a shortened season could be a steep hill to climb. In fact, they are closer to last (3 points) than they are to 7th (5 points) in the Eastern Conference.  That is a far cry from the 109 point season the Rangers posted last year.

Management did what they felt the needed to do by bringing in yet another all-star in Nash, providing John Tortorella with another offensive weapon to use while they waited for Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller to mature into full fledged NHLers.  They had the Vezina winning goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, and a rock solid defensive corps.  Scoring was the major roadblock, and that was addressed with the addition of Nash.

The Rangers have had some injury woes this season, but looking at some of the teams ahead of them in the standings (Ottawa and Toronto to name two), they cannot use that as an excuse.

That leaves head coach John Tortorella with a lot of explaining to do as to why his team is underachieving so badly.  He is the type of personality that has a certain window of opportunity to get the most out of his team, and perhaps that window has closed in New York after 3+ seasons at the helm.  He won the Cup in Tampa in his 3rd full season as head coach, and then lost twice in the first round of the playoffs before missing them entirely before being fired after 6+ seasons in charge.

Tortorella getting fired wouldn’t have many people shedding tears as the abrasive personality has rubbed a lot of media people the wrong way, and he is known for his 30 second press conferences, 1  word answers and verbal exchanges with Larry Brooks.

If the Rangers don’t quickly turn things around, Tortorella could soon join Lindy Ruff at the top of the list of candidates to be considered the next time a vacancy opens around the league.