As Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs goes on, the games are getting nastier and nastier.
In Pittsburgh-Columbus, the Blue Jackets now trail their series 2-0 after a 4-1 loss, but did a little “message sending.” From Matt Calvert breaking his stick over Tom Kuhnhackl and dropping him in the last half-minute of regulation, to Scott Harrington and Boone Jenner going after Evgeni Malkin at the end of the game, and now the Columbus-Dispatch giving out crying Crosby masks for Game 3, the Blue Jackets-Penguins series is hitting another level.
But compared to the Rangers-Canadiens slug-fest, it’s nothing.
Montreal and New York ranked 12th and 16th, respectively, in the regular season for hits, but the two have been setting the pace for physicality in Round 1.
First, the hit total from Game 1:
And Game 2 was no different, with more than a few post-whistle scrums resulting from physical play during the game.
In total, the Rangers and Habs combined for 129 hits in Game 2 after it was decided in overtime — the Rangers getting 74, the Habs 55.
So now through two games, the running total is up to 227. For context, the Blue Jackets and Penguins have combined for 165 hits through two games in their series.
Game 3 goes in New York at Madison Square Garden, a place known for some epic heavyweight tilts in its history. With this series tied 1-1, these two powerhouses will surely continue the intense physical play.
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