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    Stan Fischler
    Stan Fischler
    Apr 12, 2024, 18:34

    Payback might be on the minds of some, entering Saturday's matinee at MSG.

    Payback might be on the minds of some, entering Saturday's matinee at MSG.

    When the Islanders invade The World's Most Famous Arena on Saturday afternoon, they just might -- make that more than "might" -- be confronted by a revengeful New York Rangers home club led by The Avenger, Matt Rempe.

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    This no doubt will be the fallout from Peter Laviolette's comments following his club's 3-2 loss to the Islanders last Tuesday at UBS Arena.

    After Adam Pelech innocently collided with Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers mentor rolled out his propaganda machine and extracted a "vicious" hit charge.

    It was ridiculed from far and wide including network's Paul Bissonette who can distinguish better than most between Lavvy's applesauce and pure apple cider.

    READ MORE: Pelech/Zibanejad

    The Mave sees it as the Ranger Leader's pure and simple way of arousing his troops in the manner of the now infamous five on five brawl against the Devils. (Either that or he wants me and Zack Weinstock to write another Rangers-Isles rivalry book.)

    Sagely, Patrick Roy, brushed off the Blueshirt babble with a simple observation: "Sometimes frustration makes you say things."

    The Rangers bench boss had no interest in Pelech's response that the collision was "completely unintentional" nor that Adam added, "I hope Mika's okay."

    So we should expect Man Mountain Rempe to not only dress but attempt to wreak havoc just as he did against New Jersey when Laviolette was completely silent about Rempe's "vicious" hits.

    Apart from avoiding Rangers assorted torpedoes, the visitors from Nassau are focusing on a seventh consecutive win that has catapulted them right into the thickly contested playoff race.

    Whether or not they'll be able to do it without injured ace defenseman Noah Dobson will depend on Saturday's medical report.

    Dobson also was dragged into Lavvy's feudin' fussin' and fightin' filibuster after Dobby felled Vincent Trocheck along the boards behind the Isles' net in the dying seconds of Tuesday's game.

    "It was a hockey play," Dobson explained, "when intensity was high."

    The rationale may reverberate on the Rangers stickboys ears. How much they resonate with Rempe may be determined by the Richter Scale and I don't mean Mike Richter either!