The New York Rangers hosted the first two games of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes and wrapped them up leading the matchup 2-0 ahead of the first game in Raleigh, scheduled for Thursday, May 9.
Tensions are rising with each passing day and the first two outings featured players from both sides entering confrontations.
In Game 2, Martin Necas and Jacob Trouba paired to generate the largest amount of headlines even though the action that fostered that conversation didn’t end with an awful outcome. Necas, however, had something to say about it on Wednesday discussing Trouba’s hit attempt.
“Elbow me in the head, I guess,” Necas told reporters on Wednesday, May 8, when asked what he thought Trouba wanted to do with that action. “Maybe he was protecting himself from going into the boards, but he knows. He knows.
“Everyone knows what kind of player he is. I mean good for him. Nothing happened. We’re all good and I’m excited for the next game.”
The Hurricanes will host the Rangers on Thursday, May 9, for Game 3 of their first-round series with New York entering the contest in possession of a 2-0 lead.
Jacob Trouba Could Have Caused a Serious Injury to Martin Necas
Necas’ comment comes after Trouba launched himself into the body of the Hurricanes player attempting to land a hit that could have been very costly for both men had the impact materialized.
Trouba approached Necas from the right side of the latter and jumped head-first in the Canes player’s direction. Trouba also separated his left arm from his body, aiming at Necas’ head, but he failed to connect with his target and instead crashed into the boards slamming his head brutally on the glass.
The action happened in the first overtime of the Rangers’ 4-3, double-overtime win against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, May 7.
Necas was able to dodge Trouba, although it’s not clear if he did it on purpose and knowing what was coming or if he just slipped, lucking into ducking the Rangers defender.
“In the moment, I didn’t even see what happened,” Necas revealed one day after Game 2, via The Hockey News’ Ryan Henkel. “I saw it on a replay after the game.
“I mean it’s whatever. Good for him, he ran into the boards head-first. Good to dodge the hit as it probably wouldn’t have ended well, but I’m here, it’s fine.”
If Trouba’s arm, let alone his full body, had connected with Necas’ head, it’s fair to assume that the Hurricanes player could have suffered a severe injury and a concussion forcing him out of an uncertain amount of games for an undetermined period of time.
As for the Rangers defender, it’s also a safe assumption to envision the NHL and the Player Safety Department to take matters into their own hands and ban him for a few games and potentially the remainder of the second-round series if not more.
Hurricanes & Rangers Literally Fighting Through Series
It’s funny that Trouba and Necas are in the spotlight following a Game 2 that surely didn’t lack physical confrontations ending in actual contact and penalties.
With the Rangers and the Hurricanes sharing a heated past because of the players’ and coaches’ relationships with both franchises and the statements by some Hurricanes players between Games 1 and 2tensions increased somewhat last Tuesday.
In Game 2, ESPN cameras displayed former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo telling Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller “I’ll fight you anytime,” later adding “Oh, yeah you’re a (expletive) a–,” before the audio was cut off.
Earlier in the game, DeAngelo’s teammate Andrei Svechnikov charged through Rangers goalie Igor Shesterking and started a small altercation along the boardsand received a two-minute minor penalty.
Rangers rookie Matt Rempe played his usual role of agitator and sought revenge on behalf of New York following that action by Svechnikov when he skated hard toward Carolina goalie Freddy Andersen covering him with ice.
Later in the game, Hurricanes trade-deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel engaged in a brief altercation with Rangers’ Adam Foxand exchanged punches with each other, resulting in a minor penalty for Guentzel.
Vincent Trocheck teased Guentzel after the Canes forward entered the penalty box, taunting him with a thumbs-up gesture midway through the second period of Game 2.
Trocheck, coincidentally, became the Rangers’ hero on Tuesday after he scored the game-winning goal more than seven minutes into the second overtime, making it 4-3 for New York and giving his team a two-game lead in as many contests played.
