Montreal Canadiens forward Brandon Prust’s late, high hit on New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan in the first period of Game 3 has completely changed the tone of the Eastern Conference final.
Prust was suspended two games for the hit, which resulted in Stepan needing surgery to repair a broken jaw.
Habs forwards Daniel Briere and Brendan Gallagher didn’t seem to think much of the injury during their media availability Saturday afternoon.
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These are strange comments, to say the least. People don’t have surgery for no reason, so something was clearly wrong with Stepan’s jaw. New York’s first-line center hasn’t been ruled out of Game 4, but Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault didn’t sound optimistic when he gave an update on Stepan’s condition Saturday. Luckily for the Rangers, third-line center Derick Brassard confirmed he is ready to return from a shoulder injury and make his series debut.
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The intensity of Thursday’s game continued during the off days with both teams exchanging in a war of words. It’s all setting the stage for what promises to be a memorable Game 4 Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
