NHL

Kaleta hit on Richards could become rally big deal for Rangers

Patrick Kaleta

Patrick Kaleta (Getty Images)

BREAKING BRAD: Brad Richards writhes in pain as a Rangers trainer tends to him after a hit from behind by the Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta (inset) crushed him into the boards on Sunday. The hit earned Kaleta a five-game suspension. (Getty Images (inset))

Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s disciplinarian, decided to punish Sabres’ repeat mugger Patrick Kaleta over the phone, suspending him for five games yesterday with no requirement for a face-to-face meeting.

Kaleta’s third career suspension (among many other similar incidents) was a result of his reckless and dangerous hit from behind to Rangers center Brad Richards in the third period of the Blueshirts’ 3-2 shootout victory on Sunday. The hit left Richards writhing in pain on the Garden ice, but not seriously injured.

Richards missed practice yesterday, but coach John Tortorella seems to expect him to play in tonight’s Garden match against the Flyers (11-11-1).

“He’ll be fine,” Tortorella said.

According to Shanahan’s video explanation and the league’s mandated policy, the lack of a long-term injury was one factor in limiting the amount of games for which Kaleta was banned.

“Kaleta is in full control of this play,” Shanahan said, “and has ample opportunity to make a better decision.”

What remains to be seen is whether Kaleta will take Shanahan’s message to heart in the same way he took it in the wallet, forfeiting $76,219.25 of salary. Luckily for Kaleta’s own health, the forced absence will keep him out for next Tuesday’s matchup, when the Rangers and Sabres square off in Buffalo.

“I just play hard, and I was on the penalty kill trying to do my job,” Kaleta told the Buffalo News before he spoke with Shanahan. When asked if he had anything to say to Richards, there was an eight-second pause before Kaleta said, “I’m fine for right now.”

The good news for the Rangers (10-8-2) is that this singular act of what Richards termed “stupidity” seemed to galvanize their team. They came out on the ensuing power play and scored two goals in 43 seconds, going on to win back-to-back games for just the third time this season.

“You win a couple games, it always helps [team confidence],” Tortorella said after yesterday’s practice. “I thought we stayed with it, we make them pay for their stupidity and follow through getting the two points.”

There was also some noise made from the dark corners of NHL fandom about the hit Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi put on the Sabres’ Tyler Ennis that resulted in a boarding minor, 54 seconds into overtime.

“I was just trying to get the puck, I’m not really trying to hit him hard or anything,” Girardi said. “It’s really not comparable at all. But I don’t bother myself with the stuff at all.”

Instead, the Rangers killed off that penalty and won in the shootout. So if it was a shove in the back to Richards from some rogue malcontent that becomes a kicking-off point to finally get the Rangers’ Stanley Cup aspirations back on track, so be it.

“The only way you can win in this league consistently,” Tortorella said, “is just continue to go about your business, and try to be as hard as you can in trying to find a way to win.”

* Forward Arron Asham did not participate in practice and it looks as if he’ll miss his sixth straight game with back spasms. … The Rangers signed free-agent forward Josh Nicholls to an entry-level contract. The 20-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2010, and after Toronto chose not to sign him, he reentered the 2012 draft and went unpicked. This season he had 41 goals and 32 assists in 65 games for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League.