The capitals are still reminiscent of Islanders captain Anders Lee and his hit on Nicklas Backstrom which beat the Capitals’ death center from the rest of Game 1, and officially from Game 2.
Less than three minutes into the Islanders ‘final 4-2 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday, Lee suffered a hard-hitting hit on Backstrom, whose head was spinning while riding across the blue line and into the Islanders’ zone. . The hit hit Backstrom on his side and asked John Carlson to go to Lee, who received an interference penalty for it.
During interviews after the game, Capitals head coach Todd Reirden described Lee’s hit as “predatory,” and Carlson claimed it was “really dirty.” Lee said he “tried to throw up the brakes” but ended up catching Backstrom, which he acknowledged had to lead to Tom Wilson fighting as a result.
Islanders coach Barry Trotz was aware of the Capitals’ reaction to Lee’s hit, but claimed that because Lee came across the blue line laterally, he was bound to hit traffic. When asked about his reaction to the Capitals’ strong words, Trotz would not elaborate much.
“Player safety looks like they have good hockey people,” he said at a Zoom call Thursday. “Todd did what you would expect a coach to do, [which] is defending his players. I have absolutely nothing to do with that reaction. ”
But if the Capitals come out with an extra oomph in their step to feed their added motivation, Trotz said the Islanders will not let it hurt their game.
“We’ll just stay the course,” Trotz said. ‘Whatever happens. We are well equipped to play if they want to play physically, we will play physically, that is no problem. We’ll just play our game, we know one way to play and we have to play it. ”
Reirden announced on Thursday that Backstrom would not play in Game 2 on Friday and that the Swede is in the concussion protocol. The storyline seems all too familiar, as Wilson was responsible for beating former Islanders defender Lubo Visnovsky from the Islanders-Capitals series in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
The years-long rivalry has always been a physical one, and the Islanders expected this series to be nothing less than what it already has been.
‘Definitely has the potential [to be as physical as the 2015 series], ”Said Cal Clutterbuck. “A lot of the usual suspects are involved, so I think both teams have a lot of will and determination and ability to be physical. I think we both try to carry each other down. Well, I mean, I love it. That’s let’s go. ”
Clutterbuck said he believes the Islanders’ rivalry with the Capitals really went to the next level after that 2015 series, in which Washington won in seven games. And the Islanders have made a point to never underestimate the competition they have in the capitals, which they proved in how they play themselves in Game 1.
“If you have two good teams that are deep and physical and talented, playing each other as many times as we have in the last five years, then there have been six years since that time,” he said. “It’s a good rivalry.”
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