Read: Always Going Back To Derek Stepan
On Saturday night John Tortorella put Derek Stepan on the fourth line for a few shifts while John Mitchell took his place in the middle of Artem Anisimov and Marian Gaborik.
John Tortorella told the Daily News that Stepan was a little slow last night but that he won’t hesitate to go back to him in a big spot:
Step struggled tonight. He kept on waiting and waiting. He was just a step late. He’s hard on himself. He’s hard on himself with some things that happened last night, but one thing about him, we’re always gonna come back to him. I
I think that Step still needs to get a bit stronger and with more experience he will be able to battle with some of the tough centers that he is going up against. He has had a good season and has become the best passer on the team. His skills are there and the experience of playing a full season playing on the top line will do wonders for him in the future.
