Stepan scores pair in return
MONTREAL — Derek Stepan was on the Bell Centre ice for the Rangers in Tuesday night’s Game 5.
Montreal’s Brandon Prust was not, serving the second of his twogame suspension for breaking the jaw of the Rangers topline center with a late hit 2:55 into the first period of Game 3.
Even though they lost Tuesday’s game — a wild and sloppy 74 defeat that sends the series back to the Garden for Game 6 Thursday with the Rangers leading 32 — it wasn’t a total loss for the Rangers because their lineup was whole again and because Stepan, remarkably back in the lineup just five days removed from surgery to wire his jaw, scored two goals in the first two periods.
“If there was a positive, the fact that [Stepan] was able to — under those conditions — play such a strong game [was one],’’ Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “That whole line was good. We need to get the rest of our group to play the same way.’’
The fact Stepan, who had surgery on Friday, even accompanied the team on its flight to Montreal on Monday was encouraging. Seeing him on the ice for the morning skate in preparation for Tuesday’s game was uplifting to his teammates. Seeing him step onto the Bell Centre ice for the first shift of the game was downright inspiring. And seeing him score two goals? “It says a lot about his character and his willingness to help the team,’’ Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi said. “I thought he played a great game for us. It was unfortunate we couldn’t win with him in the lineup.’’
Stepan scored the Rangers’ first goal — tying the game, 11, at 10:44 of the first period — when he split Montreal defenders Nathan Beaulieu and Michael Bournival at the blue line and beat goalie Dustin Tokarski low on his right side.
After the game got out of the Rangers’ control with Montreal breaking out to a 41 secondperiod lead, Stepan hurt the Canadiens again with his second goal of the game, cutting the lead to 43 at 12:06 of the second.
Before Game 4, Stepan had never missed a game since the start of his NHL career in 201011, playing in 294 regularseason and 54 playoff games.
“If you can walk you can play. That’s what we’re taught. That’s what we live,” Rangers center Brian Boyle told The Post’s Larry Brooks after the morning skate.
“It’s a pretty incredible run that he had there,” Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, Stepan’s college teammate at Wisconsin, said. “For him, he’s such a smart player. He might not be known as a physical player, but he can throw some big hits and take some big hits, too. He takes a lot of hits to make plays, the way he holds on to the puck and is patient. So he’s as tough as any player out there that I’ve seen.”
With Stepan’s return and winger Derick Brassard having returned in Game 4, the Rangers were full strength and with their preferred forwardline combinations for the first time this series since the sixth shift of Game 1 right before Brassard was injured on an openice hit from Mike Weaver.
“[Stepan] looks a little different [with a plastic jawguard], but injuries will happen,’’ Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “But it’s always good to see guys come back that fast and be ready to play.”
Stepan participated fully in the morning skate while rejoining Chris Kreider and Rick Nash in line rushes, but he required medical clearance to return for the game.
“The only way he’s going to play is if he gets full medical clearance,” Vigneault said before the game. “That’s not going to be up to him. We’ve got three doctors that are here that have obviously been talking to him since the operation. They’re going to talk between the player and the doctors and obviously our [athletic trainer] and they’re going to make the call.”
The call was made, Stepan returned and the Rangers were whole again.