Before taking to the ice for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday, Brandon Prust might want to make earplugs part of his equipment.
The Garden faithful will be sure to boo the former Ranger when he steps back onto the ice for the Canadiens, fresh off a two-game suspension for a vicious hit on Derek Stepan.
“He’s obviously a big part (of our team),” Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said Wednesday. “The roles he plays on penalty killing and bringing energy to our lineup, he’s obviously a big key for us.”
Less than three minutes into Game 3, Stepan passed the puck off the boards to begin a Rangers rush, only to be blind-sided by Prust with a left shoulder hit that jarred his chin. The result was a broken jaw for Stepan, who was forced to undergo surgery and miss Game 4. No penalty was called.
The hit changed the momentum in the game, especially after Dan Carcillo went after Prust minutes later in a sequence that would lead to Carcillo’s 10-game suspension for making contact with an official.
While several of Prust’s teammates publicly questioned the severity of Stepan’s injury, Prust seemed more apologetic.
“Once I found out he had a broken jaw, I reached out to him,” Prust said last week. “I told him I feel awful. I didn’t want to injure anybody, especially a friend of mine.”
Stepan returned in Game 5 of the series in Montreal with a protective helmet, scoring two goals in the Rangers’ 7-4 loss to the Habs. Later in the same contest, Rangers defenseman John Moore laid out another former Ranger, Dale Weise, with a blind-side hit similar to Prust’s. Moore, however, was whistled for a 10-minute major penalty, was ejected from the game and received a two-game suspension.
“Very similar plays. I think it’s fair,” Habs forward Daniel Briere said. “Brandon paid the price for it. If you talk to us, we’re probably thinking more (games). If you talk to the Rangers, they were thinking less, obviously. I guess it’s kind of a middle ground. I think the biggest thing is seeing that Dale is OK. That’s what matters the most for us.”
Prust, who spent almost two and a half seasons in New York, has two assists and 30 penalty minutes in 12 games for Montreal this postseason.
“It’s great to have him back,” Habs forward David Desharnais said. “Everybody has stepped up when somebody was injured or something like that. But Prust gives us a lot of energy and (is) there for the brawl and all that kind of stuff. He knows New York well. He’s played there, so it’s great to have him back.”
BY Pat Leonard
May 28, 3:46PM
The NHL has announced that the Stanley Cup finals will open a week from Wednesday with Game 1 on June 4. Game 2 will be on June 7. Games 3 and 4 will be on June 9 and 11, respectively. Then Games 5, 6 and 7 as necessary are scheduled for June 13, 16…
BY Pat Leonard
May 27, 6:58PM
MONTREAL – Canadiens coach Michel Therrien is far from the only Quebec citizen to pick a fight with the Rangers during this Eastern Conference Final. The publication “Le Journal de Montreal” has chastised Blueshirts coach Alain Vigneault, Ranger…
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