New York Rangers call out Nikita Kucherov for cheap stick shot to Igor Shesterkin’s knee
New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is calling out Nikita Kucherov for jabbing his stick into Igor Shesterkin’s knee in the second period of Game 3.
After Tampa won 3-2 on Sunday, Gallant was not happy with how the Lightning made it their mission to bump and hit Shesterkin. He stated his case clearly in his post game comments.
“It doesn’t faze him”, Gallant said. “It fazes me more than him. I don’t like it. Hopefully, when we talk to the supervisor tomorrow, they’ll take care of some of that because it wasn’t right.”
There was a lot of contact between Tampa players and Shesterkin that included a Corey Perry slash to his face mask and a Riley Nash run in that was called interference.
On Monday, Gallant provided more clarity on what exactly bothered him.
Rangers call out Nikita Kucherov
“I’ve got no concerns when you get into those areas,” Gallant explained. “The only concern I had out of the whole thing is when Kucherov come from behind him and stuck him in the back of the knee. The other plays are hockey plays and they happen. I don’t like the dirt behind the play like that.”
The incident Gallant is referring to came during the second period after the whistle. You can see Kucherov skate from behind the net and use his stick to the back of Shesterkin’s knee, which has considerably less padding.
Game 4 should be a very intriguing affair and it will be interesting to see how the refs call it going forward.
New York Rangers Playoff Schedule: ECF vs Tampa Bay Lightning
| GM 1: Rangers 6-2 | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 2: Rangers 3-2 | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 3: Lightning 3-2 | 3PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 4: Tuesday, 6/7 @TB | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 5: Thursday, 6/9 @NYR* | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 6: Saturday, 6/11 @TB* | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
| GM 7: Tuesday, 6/14 @NYR* | 8PM ET | (ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS) |
*If necessary
NHL Suspends Evander Kane
Evander Kane will be suspended for his illegal boarding hit on Nazem Kadri that knocked him out of the series. Read more.
More About:New York Rangers Features New York Rangers News