The iron fist of discipline has now come down in equal measure between the Rangers and the Canadiens, whether that’s the way they like it or not.
The NHL announced on Wednesday afternoon Rangers defenseman John Moore is suspended for two games following his blindside shot to the head of Dale Weise in the third period of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday in Montreal. It was the same suspension handed down to Canadiens forward Brandon Prust for his late hit on Derek Stepan in Game 3, a play that didn’t draw a penalty but broke Stepan’s jaw.
The video put together by the league’s Department of Player Safety noted Moore “drives up and into Weise, delivering a hit that makes his head the main point of contact.” It went on to say the hit was not late, and “Weise is eligible to be checked on the play.”
Moore received a 5-minute elbowing major, as well as a match penalty. After the Canadiens won the game, 7-4, cutting the Blueshirts’ lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault seemed resigned to the fact Moore would get suspended. Yet on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours later, he was defiant about defending his player.
“It was a hit that Johnny caught him a little high in the chest, the player [Weise] didn’t see it coming,” Vigneault said at the team’s hotel in Montreal before the suspension came down and the Rangers prepared to fly back home for Game 6 on Thursday night at the Garden.
“It probably warrants the penalty that was given on the ice,” he said. “Other than that, I don’t see what else it could warrant. But I’ve been surprised before, so we’ll see what happens.”
Turns out, although Weise did return to the ice for three shifts after going to what Canadiens coach Michel Therrien called “the quiet room” to be checked out, he sustained what the league called “an injury” on the play.
Canadian news outlet TVA Sports reported Weise suffered a concussion. Therrien said on Wednesday afternoon he had not seen Weise, the team holding a sparsely attended optional practice.
“[Weise] was admiring his pass a little bit,” Vigneault said. “Unfortunately, because of the force of the hit, the head seemed to be snapped back a little bit. But as far as what I know about league standards, and from what I heard about the Prust hit, the dynamics of the hit changed because Stepan was hurt. I don’t see that at this time right now.”
The revelation of Weise’s apparent injury changed that, and now Vigneault will have to find someone, likely Raphael Diaz, to replace Moore for the next two games.
“What Alain Vigneault is saying is what every coach is going to say,” Therrien said. “He’s there to protect his players, every coach is going to say those types of things. We all saw the hit, it’s in the league’s hands, and I’m sure they’re going to [make] a good decision.”