Adam Pelech and Noah Dobson alike had little time for Rangers coach Peter Laviolette’s accusation that they had viciously hit Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, respecitvely, during Tuesday’s 4-2 Islanders win over their archrivals.
“I’ll just say it was completely unintentional and I hope Mika’s okay,” Pelech said. “I think if the camera showed me at all after the collision, you could tell that I felt sick about it, cause he didn’t look good going down and getting up off the ice. So, like I said, it was completely unintentional and I hope he was okay.”
Zibanejad did return to the Rangers’ bench at the end of the game and participated in practice Thursday.
Laviolette described the collision as intentional on Pelech’s part, to which Pelech expressed surprise.
The defenseman’s elbow hit Zibanejad as the center was skating off the ice for a change.
“I was following the play up the ice, they kinda had the puck,” Pelech said. “I stopped in the neutral zone to see what was going on. I was looking up ice the whole time and we collided.”
After the game, Islanders coach Patrick Roy was incredulous at being asked about the play, which he described multiple times as accidental.
Regarding Laviolette’s comments, Roy said, “Sometimes, frustration makes you say things.”
Dobson, who hit an off-balance Trocheck into the boards as the seconds ticked down while the Rangers were skating at six-on-five, said there was no malice on his part either.
“It was just a hockey play,” he said. “In my mind, we were trying to battle, trying to win a game, trying to get a playoff spot. The intensity’s high. Trying to go for the puck and obviously, he falls. I’m not trying to hurt anyone on the play. Glad he was able to get up.
“It’s a hockey play. This time of year, the intensity’s high. It’s not like my intent’s to make a vicious play into the boards and hurt him. I think it’s one of those plays in the moment, it’s a battle. That’s the way it goes.”
After not-so-coincidentally echoing Laviolette’s language, Dobson shrugged it off.
“I don’t care too much what other team’s coaches are saying. We got enough to focus on,” he said. “Montreal tonight. Obviously their coaches are gonna protect their players, our coaches are gonna protect our players. I haven’t given any thought to it. I’m just focusing on trying to play a good game tonight.”