In the ongoing saga of shenanigans that seems to be driving the Eastern Conference finals, a small bit thuggery that was seemingly overlooked in Tuesday’s Game 5 was the Rangers’ Derek Dorsett head-butting Montreal defenseman Mike Weaver in the waning moments of the third period.
There was no penalty called, and Dorsett did not have any sort of fine or hearing with the league about his actions. Neither did Canadiens forward Rene Bourque, who after netting a hat trick in the Habs’ 7-4 win, tried to defend Weaver by cross-checking Dorsett after the final buzzer, earning a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
“It’s probably just hockey,” Rangers de facto captain Brad Richards said on Wednesday, his team up in the best-of-seven contest, 3-2, with Game 6 on Thursday night at the Garden. “Things just happen.”
Dorsett also had a small bit of hoopla surrounding what he did in a pregame ceremony, stopping short near the bench to send ice chips flying into the face of a small child who was part of the Canadiens ceremony. Mats Zuccarello tried to save the kid from falling over, to no avail.
“It is not in my priorities watch the boy with the flag,” coach Alain Vigneault said in French at the team’s hotel in Montreal on Wednesday, as translated by Google from a story by Le Journal de Montreal. “If it’s been done — and I do not doubt your assertion — it was probably a pure accident. “
As for the Weaver hit, Vigneault said he did not see it.
Because Rangers defenseman John Moore begins his two-game suspension with Game 6, it seems the only likely replacement would be Raphael Diaz.
Diaz has played two games in this postseason, the most recent Game 4 in the second round against the Penguins on May 7. The other extra defenseman practicing with the team is Justin Falk, who hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 29.
“We’re not there yet,” Vigneault said about the lineup, having not found out about Moore’s suspension yet.
Rangers forward Dan Carcillo will have his in-person meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday morning in New York City to appeal his 10-game suspension for physical abuse of an official in Game 3. Carcillo is set to serve the third game of that suspension in Game 6.
Canadiens starting goalie Carey Price was on the ice before his team’s practice for the second straight day in full pads, working on lateral movement.
Canadians coach Michel Therrien was adamant on Tuesday morning the right-knee injury Price suffered in Game 1 after getting run into by Chris Kreider is going to keep him out of this series.
The Canadiens traveled with their full team to New York for Game 6, and that includes top-four defenseman Alexei Emelin, who missed Game 5 with what Therrien so wonderfully described at “a body injury.” Emelin was replaced in the game by slick-skating Nathan Beaulieu .