After Sunday's loss in game three loss to the Lightning, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant had some strong words about Tampa Bay's contact with Igor Shesterkin in the crease, adding that he would be talking to the league about the several bumps his Vezina and Hart Trophy candidate endured.
On Monday, a cooler Gallant clarified that there was really only one incident involving Shesterkin that left him bothered.
"I get no concern when you get in those areas. The only concern I had out of the whole thing was when [Nikita] Kucherov come behind him and stuck him in the back of the knee," Gallant said. "I didn't like that. The other plays are hockey plays, they happen. We ran into their goalie once, got a penalty with Vatrano. But I don't like the dirt behind the play like that."
Kucherov did indeed take a hack with his stick that hit Shesterkin behind the leg pad, one of a few instances where Tampa made contact with the Rangers star netminder. He was ran into by Riley Nash which led to a power play for New York, and they were awarded another when Corey Perry hit Shesterkin in the facemask with his stick, prompting a likely exaggerated response from Shesterkin when he threw his stick in the air and fell backward onto the ice.
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