As expected, the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals series between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers has been very heated, but it took an even darker turn in Game 3 on Thursday night. Habs forward Brandon Prust put a high and late hit on Blueshirts center Derek Stepan in the first period of Game 3, and it was announced that Stepan broke his jaw following the play.
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The NHL is slated to have a phone hearing with Prust, a former teammate of Stepan, Friday where the league may end up suspending him for his actions. Prust lowered his shoulder and nailed an unsuspecting Stepan away from the puck less than three minutes into the game, sending Stepan flying and knocking him out of the game until the second period.
The Canadiens ended up winning Game 3 by a 3-2 margin in overtime to cut their series deficit to 2-1 at Madison Square Garden, but after the game, the hit was on the minds of most people involved.
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Though no penalty was called on the ice, it was a malicious hit that the league has reviewed and an announcement on Prust's punishment -- if there is one -- is expected on Friday. According to the New York Daily News, Stepan broke his jaw after the hit and had to undergo surgery, leaving his status for the series in doubt.
"Step, right now at this time is probably getting operated on. He broke his jaw yesterday," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault told the paper Friday afternoon. "We'll have an idea of the time-frame tomorrow. That's stuff that happens in a game that you have to deal with and that's what we're trying to do."
After Stepan was hit and taken out of the game for the first period, Rangers agitators Derek Dorsett and Dan Carcillo both went after Prust. Dorsett ended up fighting Prust while Carcillo may face a suspension himself for making contact with a linesman after he was called for a penalty.
This series has been controversial since Game 1 when Rangers forward Chris Kreider skated into goaltender Carey Price and injured him, knocking him out of the series with a lower-body injury. Vigneault recalled that Prust was up in arms after the play and that revenge could have been on his mind.
"The four referees missed the call [and] Stepan is injured. The same player [Prust] that called the [Kreider] hit on Price 'accidentally on purpose," Vigneault told the Daily News. "What saddens me about that hit, if the call is made on the ice, we're on a five-minute power play and what happened to Dan Carcillo - which is inexcusable and he's going to pay a big price for it - but if the call is made on the ice, he's not put in that position."
The Rangers and Canadiens continue their series with Game 4 on Sunday, and Vigneault told the media that a timetable for Stepan's return would be known late Friday.
With a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line, this series has had its share of rough plays, and with the series getting tighter, that trend is only expected to continue.
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