Ryan McDonagh Flourishes Under Rangers" Direct Approach John Tortorella had a point to make to Ryan McDonagh, and he was not about to let the locker room celebration after the Rangers" overtime victory over Columbus stop him from getting to the defenseman. With 1 minute 33 seconds left in regulation in the game on Feb. 19, Rick Nash of the Blue Jackets sailed a wrist shot through a crowd of players and into the Rangers" net to tie the score. Tortorella felt that Nash's shot should never have reached the goal and that McDonagh was in the best position to block the puck with his stick or a part of his body. The Rangers won in overtime, but Tortorella was in McDonagh's stall, calmly instructing the player while guitars and drums blared through the locker room speakers. Near the end of the discussion, Tortorella was terse with McDonagh, 22. "So, you understand what I'm getting at?" the coach said. "Yes," McDonagh said. Are you sure? Tortorella said. We're on the same page? "We are," McDonagh said. We're good. Looking back five weeks later, McDonagh said the postgame conversation was nothing out of the ordinary. It was an example of the many frank talks he has had with Tortorella and the assistant coaches, Mike Sullivan and Jim Schoenfeld, this season. "For me, it was a learning moment," McDonagh said. I have to find a way to get a piece of Nash's shot. For Torts, it was a teaching moment. He made his point clearly, I got it and we moved on. That's how we operate here. Young players have been known to wilt under the firm hand and raspy voice of a taskmaster like Tortorella. But McDonagh, who is in the top 10 in the N.H.L. at plus-26 and whose average ice time of 24 minutes 54 seconds is behind only Dan Girardi's on the Rangers, embraces the direct approach. "If there's something on the coaches" minds, I want to know about it," McDonagh said. I can handle it and so can every player on our team. The way our coaches don't let anything slide, I think it's one of the biggest reasons why you're seeing so many players develop and why we've won our share of games this season. Entering their game Friday against the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers (49-21-7) have won five of six games to maintain their lead in the Eastern Conference over Pittsburgh. Although the Rangers have been carried at times by their highly compensated stars - the goal scorer Marian Gaborik, the playmaker Brad Richards and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist - the development of "homegrown" young veterans has been vital to their success this season. "Look around our locker room," said Michael Del Zotto, who has emerged as a top-four defenseman in his third pro season. It starts with our captain, Ryan Callahan, and continues with Marc Staal on defense and so many of our core players. They either came through our minor league system or were taught by John Tortorella and the coaches here. McDonagh, Del Zotto, and the rookie forward Carl Hagelin represent the next wave of young players benefiting from the tough and firm coaching style of Tortorella, Sullivan and Schoenfeld. "The coaching staff believes if you don't solve the problems of today and you let those slide, you're going to have more problems," Tortorella said. There's always something you're trying to work on, trying to figure out, that maybe you need to address, each and every day when you're coaching. You try to get them out of the way, right away. If there's a problem, we address it. If there's a good thing, we address it. Honesty is the important part. When it comes to his dealings with McDonagh, Tortorella has spent a lot more time lately patting him on the back than hounding him about lapses like the Nash goal. While his defensive play continues to impress, McDonagh has become more confident carrying the puck and dashing into the offensive zone. His primary assist on Ruslan Fedotenko's game-winning goal in the third period Tuesday in Minnesota, McDonagh's home state, was the latest example. "He's a guy who wants to extend himself offensively," Tortorella said of McDonagh. He has made tremendous improvements. He and Danny have been our steadiest defensemen all season long. The minutes he racks up, the players he's playing against at such a young age, it's really good. Lundqvist said the reason the bond between the coaching staff and developing players is so strong is because players like McDonagh have the mental makeup to handle the sometimes brutally honest coaching. "That's not always the case, especially with young players," Lundqvist said. But Ryan is tough. He knows fixing mistakes right away is important. And now look at the player he has become.