Rangers HC Peter Laviolette makes his feelings crystal clear about Matt Rempe's controversial hit on Nick Blankenburg

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Mar 03, 2025 05:04 GMT

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New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette addressed the incident involving Matt Rempe's hit on Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg during Sunday's matchup.

The incident unfolded in the first period where Rempe's elbow had made contact with Blankenburg's head as he delivered a check into the boards. Blankenburg's head bounced off the glass after the impact.

Here's a video of the play:

The Nashville Predators defenseman was slow to get up after the hit, and seeing that, his teammate Andreas Englund immediately went after Matt Rempe, dropping his gloves. Both players sustained bloody noses during the ensuing fight.

Laviolette defended Rempe's hit, saying that the forward's size and aggressive forechecking style often led to him being higher than opponents when delivering checks.

"Remps is just such a big man. He was forechecking. When he hits, he's just higher than everybody else. I don't think he hit him, I think he maybe grazed him a little bit. I think it was more of a miss. That's his game, as well. He's got to do it within the rules, but we also need him forechecking," said Laviolette post-game.

Matt Rempe was penalized for the incident, receiving a two-minute minor for elbowing and a five-minute major for fighting. Englund also faced penalties: a two-minute minor, a 10-minute misconduct for instigating, and a five-minute major for fighting.

While Rempe avoided further punishment on the ice, the play is likely to be reviewed by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, potentially leading to yet another suspension. It wouldn't be Rempe's first suspension, as he has already been suspended four times in his brief two-year NHL career.

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Matt Rempe and the Rangers blank Predators

On Sunday, the New York Rangers shut out the Nashville Predators 4-0 at Madison Square Garden, returning to the win column after a defeat to the Maple Leafs last week.

Artemi Panarin opened the scoring for the hosts at 8:32 into the first period. J.T. Miller doubled the lead for the Rangers after scoring on the power play at 1:02 into the second period.

Just over two minutes later, K'Andre Muller extended the lead to 3-0 before heading into the final period. At 16:57, Brett Berard's goal stood out as the winner for New York. Jonathan Quick made 34 saves in his 800th career game and registered his third shutout victory of the season with the Rangers.