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Rangers’ Boyle says sitting out ‘infuriating’

BrianBoyle

New York center Brian Boyle will be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game when the Rangers face the Bruins on Tuesday.

Clearly, he’s not happy about it.

“I know I can be a good player and effective player in this League and on this team,” he said after the morning skate. “It’s infuriating sitting out, it’s awful.

“And it’s pissing me off a lot.”

Getting scratched against the Bruins probably has an extra sting for Boyle, a Boston native.

He’s never really had success against the club -- 14 games, zero goals, minus-5 rating -- and now must suffer the ignominy of being benched in his hometown.

But it’s not like the scratch comes without reason.

Boyle’s struggles this season are well documented, going beyond his ugly stat line (no goals, one assist, minus-3) as Rangers head coach John Tortorella took aim at Boyle’s poor performance in various facets of the game, including two he values highly.

"[Boyle] hasn’t done a good job killing penalties; I don’t think he’s done a good enough job blocking shots,’' Tortorella said last week.

While it might sound like the relationship between player and coach is at an all-time low, Torts was quick to point out he hasn’t written off Boyle entirely.

“When Brian gets in, like I said, I hope he never lets me put myself in this decision again,” Tortorella explained. ""I believe Brian will be a big part of it, I just don’t know when I’ll change the lineup.”