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#Islanders prepared to handle any Capitals backlash for Anders Lee hit

#Islanders prepared to handle any Capitals backlash for Anders Lee hit

August 13, 2020 | 6:45pm

The Capitals are surely still thinking about Islanders captain Anders Lee and his hit on Nicklas Backstrom that knocked the Capitals star center out of the rest of Game 1, and officially out of Game 2 as well.

Less than three minutes into the Islanders’ eventual 4-2 win in Game 1 Wednesday, Lee laid a hard hit on Backstrom, whose head was turned at impact, while skating over the blue line and into the Islanders’ zone. The hit knocked Backstrom onto his side and prompted John Carlson to go after Lee, who received an interference penalty for it.

During postgame interviews, Capitals head coach Todd Reirden described Lee’s hit as “predatory,” and Carlson asserted it was “real dirty.” Lee said he “tried to throw the brakes on,” but ended up catching Backstrom, which he acknowledged led to having to fight Tom Wilson as a repercussion.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz was understanding of the Capitals’ reaction to Lee’s hit, but claimed that because Lee was coming laterally over the blue line, he was bound to hit traffic. Asked about his reaction to the Capitals’ strong words, Trotz wouldn’t elaborate much.

Islanders
Tom Wilson of the Capitals (r.) and Anders Lee fight during Game 1.Getty Images

“Player safety looks at it, they’ve got good hockey people,” he said on a Zoom call Thursday. “Todd was doing what you expect a coach to do, [which] is defend his players. I don’t have anything on that reaction at all.”

But if the Capitals do come out with an extra oomph in their step to feed their added motivation, Trotz said the Islanders will not let it throw them off their game.

“We’re just going to stay the course,” Trotz said. “Whatever happens. We’re well equipped to play if they want to play physical, we’ll play physical, that’s not a problem. We’re just going to play our game, we know one way to play and we have to play it.”

Reirden announced Thursday that Backstrom would not play in Game 2 on Friday and that the Swede is in the concussion protocol. The storyline seems all too familiar as Wilson was responsible for knocking former Islanders defenseman Lubo Visnovsky out of the Islanders-Capitals series in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.

The longstanding rivalry has always been a physical one, and the Islanders were expecting this series to be nothing less than what it already has been.

“Definitely has the potential [to be as physical as the 2015 series],” Cal Clutterbuck said. “A lot of the usual suspects are involved so I think both teams have a lot of will and determination and ability to be physical. I think we’re both going to try and wear each other down. Good, I mean, I love it. So let’s go.”

Clutterbuck said he believes the Islanders’ rivalry with the Capitals really went to the next level after that 2015 series, in which Washington won in seven games. And the Islanders have made a point to never underestimate the competition they have in the Capitals, which they proved in how they played them in Game 1.

“When you have two good teams that are deep and physical and talented, playing each other as many times as we have over the last five years, six years since then, that’s what you get,” he said. “It’s a good rivalry.”

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