A day that started with conversations surrounding Matt Lempe ended with the big man being little more than an extra in the most physical game of the playoffs to date for both teams.
Just 12:05 into the game, Igor Shesterkin was sent off and almost took part in the ensuing scrum.
A few minutes later, Frederik Andersen was snowing in Lempe.
Tony DeAngelo was caught on an ESPN microphone telling K’Andre Miller, “I’ll fight you any time.”
Jake Guentzel punched Adam Fox in the face, and Carolina felt like it was a little too easy for their defenseman to take a roughing penalty.
In extra time, Jacob Trouba and Dmitry Orlov had a brutal exchange of shots.
This was playoff hockey, and in the end, the Rangers won 4-3 in double overtime, leading the series 2-0.
Shesterkin then said this about Andrei Svechnikov, who was sent into the back of his own goal about four hours earlier. I don’t have any friends in the game. I said to him, “Let’s play hockey.” Don’t do this. That’s a stupid penalty. ”
And that’s what Carolina captain Jordan Staal would say about the Rangers’ tendency to take penalties, including Fox. that’s reality. There are penalties, but it’s hard to know how hard a player will hit another player. that’s reality. “
With seven consecutive games with the season at stake, it can only be expected that hostility between both sides will increase. But the second-round matchup between the Metropolitan Division rivals has been heating up from the get-go.
Game 1 was noticeably more physical than the teams’ first-round series, but on Tuesday Svechnikov caused all of the Rangers on the ice to jump to Shesterkin’s defense, and the violation was retried and the situation has increased even further. Major before the umpires decided it was worth tripping over to the minor.
“I think it’s natural to protect the goaltender. The players will jump in there,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “They know how important he is to this team and they’re going to protect him.”
Perhaps in response, Lempe stopped short of Andersen after a few shifts on the ensuing power play, but Jack Drury took an exception.
Referee Kelly Sutherland gave Lempe the talk (Svechnikov did not receive it after knocking down Shesterkin), but No. 73 was mostly quiet that night, taking his final shift into the second period.
But Rempe wasn’t the only one leading the charge Wednesday.
It was just Rangers.
