As everyone knows, tonight is John Tortorella’s first game as Rangers coach. He brings with him a new mindset for the team and a different style of play.  While the whole team is worth watching to see how they react, I singled out a few people to keep an eye on not just for tonight but for the rest of the season.

Nikolai Zherdev: Clearly the most talented skater that the Rangers currently have on their roster, Zherdev leads the team in points but has been inconsistent this season. Basically an Alex Kovalev clone, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to Torts coaching.  Will Torts get the most out of him like he has gotten out of others in the past or will fiery attitude hurt Zherdev and his confidence?

Scott Gomez: Gomer has struggled for most of this season as the teams top center, but Torts has been known to ride his top players and Gomer fits that bill.  Will the increased playing time that Gomer will probably get finally get him to live up to the contract that he signed or will Gomer continue to struggle?

The Power Play: No matter what Torts does the PP will be better.

Henrik Lundqvist: Torts says that he won’t play as aggressivly as he did in Tampa last year but Hank still won’t have the defensive system in front of him that he is used to. This team didn’t always give Hank the best help anyway, so how will Hank react to having more pressure and possibly less defensive help in front of him.