from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

You could feel the heat rising with every word that came out of Alain Vigneault’s mouth during the coach’s press briefing following the Rangers’ practice on Friday.

Fourteen hours after his team’s last 1.3-seconds Game 1 defeat to the Capitals, Vigneault’s anger was palpable, his normally calm, light, buttoned-down demeanor escalating into a series of verbal challenges thrown at his team to be better, sharper and more aware for Saturday’s Game 2.

Play to the end, urged the coach, whose constant message of whistle-to-whistle did not translate on Thursday, when the Rangers fatally decided to play whistle-to-red light on the winning/losing sequence.

Be better against the Nicklas Backstrom-Alex Ovechkin-Joel Ward line, demanded Vigneault, who called the number of “good looks” generated by that unit “unreal.”

Get more involved in the offense, the coach instructed his defense. Finish your scoring chances, he prodded his team, which has recorded two goals or fewer in five of six playoff games, getting one in the first 60 minutes of each of the last three matches, a number Vigneault said “Won’t cut it.”

continued

Note the game starts just after 12:30pm ET today and is the only game on the NHL schedule today.