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Rangers' Gerard Gallant Calls Out Hurricanes' 'Bulls--t' at End of Game 3
May 23, 2022
The New York Rangers got on the board in their second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 victory in Sunday's Game 3, but New York head coach Gerard Gallant was not a fan of the Hurricanes' response after the final buzzer.
"I wasn't happy with the bulls--t at the end of the game that they initiated," Gallant told reporters after the game. "We didn't do that when the games were close. They put their guys out. That's fine. If they want to play like that, we've got the guys that can match them."
Hurricanes forward Max Domi initiated a scrum by cross-checking Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren at the end of the game. Lindgren eventually wrestled Domi down but not until after players from both teams came together on the ice.
"Domi took a cheap shot at our defenseman," Gallant continued. "You've got a long memory in this to think about things. It might be on the other foot someday."
The coach made his feelings felt before the postgame press conference and yelled at Carolina defenseman Tony DeAngelo as the players skated off the ice. DeAngelo was the target of constant booing and chanting from the New York fans during Sunday's game.
The Rangers previously bought out his contract following behavioral concerns.
As for the actual game, Mika Zibanejad put the Rangers ahead with a power-play goal in the first period before Chris Kreider extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period. Carolina climbed back into the game with a goal from Nino Niederreiter, but strong defense preserved the advantage before Tyler Motte provided the insurance goal in the game's final two minutes.
It was more of the same for the Hurricanes, who are 6-0 at home and 0-4 on the road in these playoffs.
If they are going to change that in Tuesday's Game 4, they will need to figure out New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He saved 43 of the 44 shots he faced Sunday and was brilliant against constant pressure as Carolina attempted to come back.
It likely won't take long to see if the tension from the end of Game 3 carries into Game 4, but Gallant made it clear he didn't think the Hurricanes sent an effective message with their actions.