John Tortorella did figuratively to every single Flyers what Chris Kreider did to Mika Zibanejad during Game 6 of last year’s first round in Pittsburgh when he grabbed the iPad from No. 93’s hands on the bench and then slammed it to the floor. The center checked him after hitting the post on a breakaway.
“He was looking at the breakaway and I heard him start second-guessing his move and he didn’t really like it,” Kreider said that night. “Hit it clean, and hit the pole. No need to guess.”
The Philadelphia coach did not physically interact with his players to snatch their monitors from their clutches But instead he decreed that iPads be banned from the benchsaying he felt using them became a distraction.
This is the first time in the NHL.
It wouldn’t make any difference to me,” Jimmy Veese said before Sunday. 2-1 loss Canadians are in the park when talking about prohibition. “I think I’ve looked at the screen maybe three times in my six years [in the NHL]. “
Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere both said they referred to iPads rather sparingly on the bench.
“You know what you’ve done when it pays off,” Kaku said. “Sometimes I’ll look to see if there might have been another option if I think I’ve seen something – more on strength play, but not much else.
“I think it’s almost better not to.”
Lafreniere said he occasionally checks the screen if he feels he’s missing something but is focused on the video the day after the game when Rangers sent him a rundown of all his bouts.
But Zibanejad said he found the iPad to be a very valuable tool in allowing him to monitor force running in essentially real time.
“I don’t look at it much for five-on-five, but it’s important to be there, in terms of making adjustments to the power play,” Zibanijad said. “You know what it looks like from your vantage point but you might see something different from an overhead angle.
“When we come up, the second unit usually goes and then there’s usually at least one more line going while we’re on the bench. The video is almost in sync with the game, so you have a little bit of time. You can get through it quickly.”
“So we have time to make adjustments before the next power play kicks in. We changed things a few times based on something we might see on screen,” said Zibani Nejad. “I don’t think you have to look at every turn and every opportunity during a match but for power play situations , I like that.”
Kreider missed his second straight goal with an upper body injury while Julien Gauthier was placed on IR following a collision with Sammy Place in the first period of Thursday’s game with Dallas.
Gauthier, who was suffering from an upper body problem, was placed on IR in order to open up a roster spot for Ryan Carpenter, who was called up from AHL Hartford before the game. The carpenter was not dressed.
Jake Leschyshyn played 6:47 in his Rangers debut, playing between Blais and Jonny Brodzinski at fourth line. The 23-year-old on waivers from Vegas went 2-and-2 in points.
Libor Hajic, who last played on December 12, was rated a healthy scratch for the 14th consecutive game and 28th time in 44 games. The 24-year-old defender has been a scratch in 60 of the 77 games he was on the active list last season.
Yaroslav Halek, who has won his last three games with a . 918 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA, should get the call Monday in Columbus to end the streak after Igor Shesterkin was in the net Sunday at the Park against Montreal.