Matt Rempe was immediately back to his usual antics after being recalled by the New York Rangers on Monday morning.
The hulking winger dressed for the Rangers against the St. Louis Blues after Chris Kreider exited the lineup due to an upper-body injury. Rempe received the second-most ice time of his career (9:26) and left his mark on the action as he often does despite having just two career points.
With 3:44 left in the third period and the Rangers down 3-2, Rempe nailed Blues forward Jake Neighbours with a cheap hit in the neutral zone. The unsuspecting Neighbours did not have the puck and was woozy getting to his feet.
Rempe was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for roughing. The penalty was Rempe’s first in the NHL since he received five minutes for fighting Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath on October 29.
Neighbours had previously been jawing with Rangers forward Will Cuylle at the end of the second period while Rempe was on the ice, which could have fueled the hit. Neighbours and Cuylle were both assessed two-minute minors for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Rempe was involved in several scrums and bouts of physical play throughout the game.
“Chaos from Rempe,” PK Subban said on Instagram.
The 22-year-old enforcer also threw a big hit on Blues forward Nathan Walker.
After the hit on Neighbours, St. Louis scored two more goals in the third period and handed New York a 5-2 loss, their third loss in a row. The Rangers have given up five or more goals in a game four times in November, leading to rumors about a potential large roster shakeup from general manager Chris Drury.
Rempe has spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL. In 10 games with the Wolf Pack, he is a minus-7 and has recorded three points (2g, 1a) and just four penalty minutes.
Update (11/26): Matt Rempe has been sent back down to the AHL.
UPDATE: Chad Ruhwedel has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack and Matt Rempe has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) November 26, 2024
