On Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, Matt Lempe naturally took part in the action as the Rangers finally saw a 4-0 victory over the predators 4-0, 4-0.
Lempe came with speed to hit Nick Blankenberg, but he led with his elbow and caught the Nashville defensive man in the face within five minutes of the first period.
Andreas Englund immediately sought retaliation, dropping his gloves as the Rangers slashed his four straight wins and swapping some hard blows.
“Rempus is just that big guy,” director Peter LaViolet said when asked about his hit ratings. “He was pioneering. When he bumps, he's higher than anyone else. I don't think he hit him, I think he probably grazes him a bit. I think it was more of a mistake.
“That's his game too. He has to do it within the rules, but we need him to move forward.”
He was only asked for elbow minors and combat majors, but he may have to face supplemental discipline from the NHL Player Safety Bureau.
It came for boarding and elbow defender Milo Hessikanen, especially considering he closed out an eight-game suspension two months ago.
It was Lempe's second suspension last season after he fined the first time for the elbow of Devils defensive man Jonas Siegenthurrer.
