The NHL disciplined John Tortorella – and not Brooks Orpik – after the Ranger coach erupted in anger over the defenseman's knee-to-knee hit on Derek Stepan in the Penguins' 5-2 win Thursday in Pittsburgh.



NHL disciplinary head Brendan Shanahan didn't hold a hearing Friday with Orpik, but the league fined Tortorella $20,000 – bringing his season total to $50,000 – for comments he made after the game.



A seething Tortorella had ripped Orpik and the Penguins, calling the play "a cheap, dirty hit," the Pens "one of the most arrogant teams in the league" and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as their "two whining stars."



Stepan did not practice Friday, but defenseman Ryan McDonagh said his teammate "is a little sore, but I don't think it's going to be anything serious."



Tortorella wouldn't say whether Stepan would play in Saturday's regular-season finale against Washington, a potential first-round opponent for the top-seeded Rangers when the playoffs start next week.



Tortorella did say that Henrik Lundqvist (sore forearm) is "fine," and the Vezina Trophy candidate expects to play with the Rangers still in contention to win the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the NHL.



They currently are tied with Vancouver, which plays its final game Saturday against Edmonton, with 109 points. With a victory, the Rangers will finish first overall because they own the tiebreaker (regulation and overtime wins) over the Canucks and St. Louis, which also can get to 111 points with wins in its final two games.



"We have an opportunity to go for the trophy. The little one. The first one," Lundqvist joked about the Presidents' Trophy, as compared to the Stanley Cup. "Obviously that's a great opportunity and a great challenge for us…I'd be really proud to accomplish that."



Tortorella also called the chance to finish atop the league in the regular season for the first time since the 1994 Stanley Cup championship team is "a little bit of incentive" for the Rangers.



The coach and some players weren't pleased with the effort in Thursday's loss to Pittsburgh just one game after the Rangers had clinched the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with a win two nights earlier in Philadelphia.



Of course, any disappointment got lost in the angry aftermath of Orpik receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing Stepan with barely four minutes remaining in the Pens' victory Thursday night.



A league source explained that Shanahan presented clips of such kneeing infractions to NHL general managers at their March meeting and explained that this type of hit has been penalized as it was Thursday – with a major and a game-misconduct. The GMs agreed such rulings should remain the standard down the stretch and through the playoffs, the source said.



Penguins owner Mario Lemieux wrote an open letter to the NHL last spring imploring the league to clean up the dirty play following a brawl-filled game against the Islanders.



Tortorella didn't revisit his comments after practice Friday, but players said they appreciated their coach's support in such situations.



"It just shows his passion for the team and for winning," McDonagh said. "He's been intense with us and honest the whole (season)…I think everyone in here loves playing for him with his intensity."



As it stands, the Rangers are slated to face Washington, currently in eighth position, in the first round. But the Caps - with a win and a Florida regulation loss to Carolina - still can flip-flop with the Panthers and catch them for the Southeast Division crown and the No. 3 seed.



"I think it's important that we just play the way we feel comfortable playing," Lundqvist said. "We know how we have to play to have success. I don't know if it's sending messages or not; we're just focusing on our own game."