One day after New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette suggested that NHL referees are restricting forward Matt Rempe on a short leash, the rookie tested the officials and Carolina Hurricanes opponents in Game 2 of the second-round series between both teams.
During Tuesday’s 4-3 double-overtime win by the Rangers, tensions continued to rise with the first period bringing intense physicality and confrontations to the ice of Madison Square Garden.
Rempe’s Game 1 did not include any brutal hits resulting in penalties or any fights, but the rookie was penalized for interfering with Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen.
The rookie and the goalie met again in Game 2 as Rempe hinted at retaliation by skating dangerously close to (and making contact with) Andersen on his crease, covering him on ice, and prompting all Canes to surround and mob him in a hurry with Hurricanes’ Jack Drury pushing Rempe and making him fall.
Matt Rempe’s Action Came After Hurricanes Hit on Igor Shesterkin
While Rempe did not cross the line with his encroachment of Andersen, the rookie could have easily avoided getting even remotely close to the Canes goaltender as there was enough time since he gloved the puck and Rempe’s arrival at the crease.
Rempe, however, was likely acting in retaliation for Andrei Svechnikov‘s reckless hit on Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin earlier in the first period. The Hurricanes player skated through the goaltender, who had possession of the puck behind his net, making him fall hard to the ice.
The Rangers players on the ice quickly went after Svechnikov while a visibly agitated Shesterkin also left his net and skated toward the Hurricanes offender trying to confront him personally.
Once again, officials reacted quickly and defused a potentially escalating situation on the ice that turned into a minor scuffle on the boards.
Peter Laviolette Discussed Matt Rempe’s Special Treatment
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette was asked about Rempe’s Game 1 penalty and how it was a little bit soft for the officials to call goalie interference on the play by the rookie while skating close to Hurricanes goalie Freddie Andersen on Monday.
“I think [Rempe] is a guy that gets eyes on him for sure,” Laviolette told reporters before Game 2 against the Canes on May 7. “Just the size of him and the way he plays the game.”
Back in Game 1, Rempe was pushed by Jordan Staal into goalie Andersen and collided with him softly, prompting the refs to call an interference penalty on the rookie sending him to the box for two minutes.
Staal and Rempe had a brief exchange of words but the situation didn’t evolve into anything substantial.
Laviolette acknowledged before Game 2 that Rempe is still a rookie with just a few games of experience in the NHL and that the Rangers are doing everything they can to guide him through his professional career by constantly reviewing replays and helping him learn from past mistakes.
“I think the eyes get drawn to [Rempe],” Laviolette said before Game 2. “I know the game happens quickly as well. We go back, and I’ve said this before, even the hit where it did cross a line, we go back and we teach him about the game. We teach him about hitting, when to fight, when not to fight. We talk to him about systems.
“He is a young player. He has performed well for us in that position. So people are paying attention to him because he's a little big, but I know that the game moves quickly and decisions are made fast out there.”
Rempe spent the least time on the ice in Game 2, with only 4:03 minutes and one hit. He had 5 shifts, also the lowest on the team. All of Rempe’s teammates skated for at least 11:25 TOI and 21 shifts, the most on the team. Kaapo Kakko).
The Rangers won against the Hurricanes 4-3 in the second overtime with a game-winning goal from forward Vincent Trocheck during a power-play opportunity 7:24 minutes into that period.
