John Carlson, TJ Oshie, and head coach Todd Reirden were critical of Anders Lee’s blindside hit on Nicklas Backstrom after the Capitals’ 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders, Wednesday.
Carlson, who tried to fight Lee immediately after he delivered the bodycheck, said, “It looked real dirty to me.”
Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson talk to the media after a 4-2 loss in Game 1 against the New York Islanders pic.twitter.com/5lKXeWkQCV
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 12, 2020
“I think when a guy is kind of coming up and looking back at the pass, I’ve heard it a lot over the years that they’re trying to take that out of the game,” Carlson added. “More than anything, as a player that’s been around, you sense the impact. Nicky doesn’t get hit very often. So that should tell you all you need to know. He’s probably one of the most aware players in the league.”
“It looked extremely late in the frame I saw,” TJ Oshie said. “There wasn’t even a puck. It’s hard seeing a leader and a player like Backy, not only for our team but a pretty good role model in the NHL, go down like that on a late, cheap play. It’s out of our hands. John did a great job. I think Tom did a great job stepping in there. Hopefully, whoever looks at it, does the right thing.”
Todd Reirden added that Lee’s hit was “late” and “predatory.” He said the team will continue to evaluate Nicky and would have more of an update on Thursday.
Caps head coach Todd Reirden talks to the media after a 4-2 loss in Game 1 against the New York Islanders pic.twitter.com/A9jgY9qkbX
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 12, 2020
“It was a late hit on an unexpected player that was in a spot that was extremely vulnerable,” Reirden said. “Those are the things we saw there. It’s as simple as that. Late hit. Player wasn’t expecting it. And it was predatory.”
Lee got a minor penalty for interference for the hit, but nothing more. The Islanders forward delivered the bodycheck two seconds after Backstrom passed the puck, driving his elbow into the center’s chest.
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz, like he did many times before when he was with Washington, described the borderline hit as a “hockey play.”
Trotz: "Anders is making a hockey play. I don't know if Nick was ready or not. Anders is a strong guy, the hit was made and they responded, he and Wilson fought and that was probably the end of it. We'll see."
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) August 12, 2020
It’s unclear if Lee will face any supplemental discipline from the Department of Player Safety.
Full RMNB Coverage of WSH/NYI Game One
Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington
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