New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters on Friday that Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom's hard check of Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle with 5.4 seconds remaining in Game 1, and the subsequent non-call for a hit from behind, has set the tone for the series ahead.
“What you’ve got to do is you’ve got to learn from the games that we’ve played, and there’s definitely things we can learn from last night,” Vigneault said, via the Washington Post. “You can’t stop playing on a play. That’s what happened on that last play. The standards have been set for what’s allowed as far as hitting from behind. [Alex] Ovechkin on [New York Islanders defenseman Thomas] Hickey [in Game 7 of the first round]. Last night on Boyle. We know what the standards are. Play up to those standards."
Backstrom's controversial hit separated Boyle from the puck and helped set up Joel Ward's game-winning goal with time expiring.
Regardless, the Capitals now have home-ice advantage and will go for a 2-0 series lead at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
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