The Rangers and Hurricanes are wasting no time creating playoff-level hatred in Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers. WIthin minutes, there was the first goal of the NHL Return to Play, big hits (that may have led to injuries), and an unlikely fight.
Carolina ultimately ended up winning Game 1 by a score of 3-2.
Slavin scores first goal of NHL Return, Fast gets hit hard
It took little time for Rangers - Hurricanes Game 1 to heat up. You can see the big moments of physicality in the video above this post’s headline.
So far, the biggest sequence happened about a minute in. First, Brady Skjei absolutely leveled former teammate Jesper Fast with a hard hit.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Fast would eventually leave the ice with a possible injury. But, before he could depart, Jaccob Slavin scored the first goal of the NHL Return to Play. Would the Hurricanes have scored that goal if the Rangers didn’t have an injured player on the ice?
The Rangers announced that Fast is not expected to return to Game 1.
Another big hit in Rangers - Hurricanes Game 1, and a Williams - Strome fight
Skjei’s hit on Fast clearly set a tone. Not only were there a parade of penalties, but Marc Staal also landed a big check on Martin Necas.
It’s possible that the Necas hit on Staal inspired Justin Williams to fight with Ryan Strome. You could argue that maybe Williams shouldn’t be dropping the gloves, but the fight was an unlikely sight either way:
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.