Avery returned to Rangers lineup by suspended coach Tortorella following 1-game benching

April 30th, 2009 Embarrassed Tortorella regrets throwing waterGREENBURGH, N.Y. — John Tortorella regrets the embarrassment he caused the New York Rangers when he squirted liquid and tossed a plastic water bottle into the crowd during a playoff loss at Washington.

April 29th, 2009 Capitals plug gaps behind Rangers bench for Game 7WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals have plugged the gaps in the glass, hoping to avoid a repeat of the nasty exchange with fans that led to New York Rangers coach John Tortorella's suspension. Before Tuesday night's Game 7, the Capitals filled the 1-inch spaces between the panes of glass behind the visitors' bench with seven I-shaped, Plexiglas stanchions.

April 29th, 2009 Fedorov leads Caps past Rangers 2-1 to take seriesWASHINGTON — Thanks to sage old Sergei Fedorov and a monumental comeback, the Washington Capitals are headed to the second round of the NHL playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. Fedorov beat Henrik Lundqvist with 4:59 left in the third period, and the Capitals edged the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal Tuesday night, becoming the 21st team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-1.

April 27th, 2009 Too late for Rangers even with beefed-up security?Hockey people love to say nothing else in sports matches the intensity level of a Game 7. But if the one scheduled to decide the first-round playoff series between the Rangers and Capitals is anything like Game 5, we could be looking at too much of a good thing.

April 26th, 2009 Rangers want Caps disciplined over poor securityNEW YORK — The NHL has increased security for the contentious playoff series between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers but won't discipline the Capitals for the way they protected the Rangers bench during Game 5. In a letter sent by New York general manager Glen Sather to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the Rangers asked the league to punish the Capitals just as it penalized John Tortorella, saying poor security led to the confrontation between the coach and fans.

April 26th, 2009 Cap-sized: Washington forces Game 7 vs. RangersNEW YORK — John Tortorella's view from a suite was no better than the one from the bench, and the suspended coach watched helplessly as the Washington Capitals routed his New York Rangers for the second straight game.

April 26th, 2009 Rangers coach Tortorella suspended for Game 6NEW YORK — A tossed bottle and a squirt of liquid by Rangers coach John Tortorella landed New York's bench boss in hot water and on the sidelines for Game 6 against the Washington Capitals. Tortorella received a one-game ban from the NHL on Saturday night for squirting water into the crowd and then tossing the bottle over the glass at Washington during New York's 4-0 loss Friday night in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series.

April 26th, 2009 Schoenfeld explains suspended Tortorella's actionsNEW YORK — New York Rangers coach John Tortorella stood up for one of his players when he got into a confrontation with a fan that drew a suspension for a playoff game, replacement coach Jim Schoenfeld said Sunday. Schoenfeld, an interim assistant coach who doubles as the club's assistant general manager, will step in for a critical playoff game against the Washington Capitals.

April 26th, 2009 Tortorella expects to be behind bench for Game 6NEW YORK — Rangers coach John Tortorella expects to be behind the bench for Game 6 of the first-round series against Washington, but declined to talk further about a water bottle-throwing incident that could land him in trouble with the NHL. "As far as that situation, I've been asked not to comment on that by my boss," Tortorella said Saturday after practice.

April 25th, 2009 Bradley's 2 early goals lead Caps past RangersWASHINGTON — Didn't take long for Alex Ovechkin's latest masterpiece of a goal to wind up on YouTube. Matt Bradley's first two career playoff goals also wound up on that Web site.

April 25th, 2009 Rangers' Avery scratched for Game 5 vs. CapitalsWASHINGTON — Sean Avery is being benched for Game 5 of the New York Rangers' first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals.

April 25th, 2009 Bradley's 2 early goals lead Caps past Rangers 4-0WASHINGTON — Thanks principally to Matt Bradley — yes, Matt Bradley, not Alex Ovechkin or another of Washington's stars — the Capitals get to keep playing this season. Bradley scored his first two playoff goals, Ovechkin added a highlight-reel tally, rookie Simeon Varlamov posted his second shutout of the opening round, and the Capitals beat the New York Rangers 4-0 in Game 5 on Friday night to avoid elimination.

April 25th, 2009 Ovechkin, Bradley, Varlamov lead Caps in Game 5WASHINGTON — If the Capitals manage to come all the way back to win their series against the Rangers, Game 5 will be remembered for all sorts of reasons. Alex Ovechkin's twisting, turning, falling-to-the-ice score.

April 25th, 2009 Rangers coach gets into it with fan during Game 5WASHINGTON — Rangers coach John Tortorella threw a plastic drinking bottle over the glass and into the stands during a confrontation with a fan in the third period of New York's 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday night. Tortorella and a man standing near New York's bench yelled at each other with about 13½ minutes left in the game.

April 22nd, 2009 Avery's antics backfire in Rangers' Game 3 lossNEW YORK — The only people Sean Avery truly agitated were the referees and his head coach. The NHL's premier pest didn't rattle the Washington Capitals or shake 20-year-old goalie Simeon Varlamov in the New York Rangers' 4-0 loss in Game 3 of the first-round series on Monday night.