Rangers Rookie After Crotch Hit on Tom Wilson: ‘It’s Pretty Cool’

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The New York Rangers are 2-0 against the Washington Capitals and getting better

After playing two relatively mild games, it’s fair to say tensions and physicality have steadily increased as the minutes have gone by in the first-round series between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals.

The Rangers enter Game 3 on April 26 boasting a 2-0 lead over the Capitals but nothing is guaranteed. Washington was trounced in Game 1 but had a solid answer in Game 2 by taking a much more physical approach to the game.

New York’s players, however, didn’t back down, which ultimately could lead to further confrontations through the next few games of this matchup.

“It’s been good,” Rangers rookie Will Cuylle told New York Post’s Mollie Walker after Game 2 on April 23 when asked about his exchanges with Tom Wilson. “Obviously, you want to compete out there against other competitors.

“I used to watch him a lot when I was younger. It’s pretty cool.”

Cuylle stood next to Capitals veteran Wilson for a faceoff draw in the second period of New York’s Game 2 4-3 win. Wilson shoved Cuylle, to which the rookie responded by hitting Wilson in the crotch area with his stick, thus leading to a second push and cross-check by the Caps man.

“I’m just trying to play the same game I have all year,” Cuylle said. “Obviously, it’s been more intense and every shift has been more intense. Overall, my game and game plan, I’m just trying to stick to what I know and what I’ve done.”

Rangers & Capitals Played Tough in Game 2

The story of Game 1 was Matt Rempe making his postseason debut, getting into the penalty box just seconds after hitting the ice with a minor, and later scoring the opening goal of the first-round series.

The story of Game 2, however, was the surprising physicality shown by Rangers’ Artemi Panarin and Capitals’ T.J. Oshie, who are certainly not considered enforcers and tough players in any shape or form.

Following the Game 2 4-3 win over the Capitals, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette acknowledged he was expecting his opponent to ramp up the physical presence on the ice.

“I expected that tonight,” Laviolette explained after the game on April 23. “The way it played out, physical and some attitude directed inside of the game. I thought our guys responded pretty well. It was a hard-fought game.”

Wilson complained about the referees following the second consecutive defeat to the Rangers. He wasn’t pleased with how the officials were calling penalties, namely forgiving Panarin for his hit (who knocked him out for the rest of the game) on Oshie.

“It seemed like tonight it was stick penalties. They were letting a lot of the other stuff go, but it was anything with the stick they were calling,” Wilson said, per Greg Wyshynski. “It’s tough. You get new refs every game, you don’t know what’s going to be called what’s not, but it’s playoff hockey.”

Rangers Might Have Reinforcements Coming Their Way

In a promising development, the Rangers could add another forward to their lineup soon, although that might not happen until after the series against the Capitals (assuming New York can win four games against Washington).

Injured center Filip Chytil has traveled to Washington with the rest of his teammates for Game 3 and Game 4, coach Laviolette announced on Thursday, April 25.

“He’s working on it right now,” Laviolette told reporters after practice on April 25. “He’s not under restriction. He’s not being held back from anything. So, we’re working towards that (a return).”

Asked if Chytil was going to travel with the Rangers contingent, Laviolette simply said, “Yes.”

Chytil has missed all games since November 2 after he suffered an upper-body injury and later showed concussion symptoms. He spent time away from the team, traveled to his hometown in the Czech Republic to rehab, and just resumed practice with the team right before the playoffs started.

The 24-year-old forward was shut down for the remainder of the regular season after appearing in 10 games and putting up 6 assists.

In the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chityl scored 7 goals in 20 games helping New York reach the Eastern Conference Final before the Rangers crashed out of the postseason in six games when facing the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Antonio Losada covers the NHL for Heavy.com. A veteran sports writer based in Spain, Antonio has covered the NBA, NFL and soccer for over 10 years, with bylines at SB Nation, FanSided, Yahoo Sports, FanGraphs, RotoBaller and more. He has also been nominated for multiple FSWA awards, including Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and DFS Writer of the Year. More about Antonio Losada