Rangers forward Matt Rempe will not be eligible to play against the Islanders on Sunday due to a suspension.
Rangers forward Matt Rempe will not be eligible to play against the Islanders on Sunday due to a suspension.
LOS ANGELES -- This upcoming Sunday, the New York Islanders will battle their cross-town rival, New York Rangers, for a St. Patrick's Day showdown at Madison Square Garden.
The last time these two teams met, it was an epic collapse by the Islanders at MetLife Stadium, blowing a 4-1 lead in the third period in what became a 5-4 overtime loss.
Early in that game, Matt Martin fought Rangers forward Matt Rempe, who was playing his first career NHL game—the first player to make his debut outdoors.
Martin playing on Sunday is a question mark, as he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Rempe playing on Sunday is not a question mark, as he has been suspended four games for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the Rangers 3-1 win on Monday night after an over-the-phone hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety:
A few weeks ago, Rempe was given a match penalty for this hit on Devils' forward Nate Bastian:
Rempe likes to play on the edge, but at six-foot-seven, you have to be in more control when laying hits, or you won't last very long.
In 10 career games, the 21-year-old has 54 penalty minutes, including six fights, with one match penalty and one game misconduct.