The good news. The New York Rangers won a hockey game last night by defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Dec. 20. Reilly Smith’s shorthanded goal swung the momentum. Vincent Trocheck notched the game-winner in the second period. Chris Kreider added an empty netter on a follow-up of a strong Will Cuylle drive to the net. Igor Shesterkin was brilliant in making 41 saves to help the Rangers end a three-game losing streak.

The bad news. Once again, Matt Rempe couldn’t control himself. Called back up by the Rangers on Wednesday, he was in the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Stars. For two periods, Rempe played well. He finished checks and drew three penalties. The most impressive one was when he beat Wyatt Johnston and drove to the net for a scoring chance that led to a slashing minor. It was the third straight penalty he drew.

Playing with Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom on an energy line, Rempe helped supply that with physical shifts. On a night when the Rangers seemed to have more life following Smith’s critical shorthanded tally that beat Jake Oettinger through the five-hole, they had to kill off seven Stars’ power plays.

Shesterkin provided the big saves by turning away 21 shots while the Rangers were shorthanded. Ironically, the only goal he allowed was an early one to Roope Hintz at even strength. After the Stars had an early goal wiped out by a successful coach’s challenge for offside, Hintz took a Nils Lundkvist feed and beat Mika Zibanejad to the spot to give the Stars the lead.

For a while, the Rangers kept giving up dangerous chances in front. Shesterkin was on top of his game. It wasn’t until Zibanejad took a slashing minor on Evgenii Dadonov that they finally got back in sync. On a miscue at the Dallas blue line, Thomas Harley overskated a loose puck. That allowed Smith to pick it up and break in and score the Rangers’ fourth shorthanded goal of the season to tie the score.

Despite continuing to take undisciplined penalties, including a bench minor late in the first period, the Rangers were the sharper team. They somehow managed to outshoot the Stars 14-9 without a power play.

In the second, Rempe’s hustle kept putting them on the man-advantage. First, he was taken down by Mason Marchment in the defensive zone. Then, he was hooked from behind by Lundkvist. Following another empty power play, Rempe retrieved a puck in the neutral zone and broke in on Oettinger to draw a slashing call on Lian Bichsel. Despite spending some time in the Stars’ zone, the Rangers were held to four shots on the three power plays.

They kept getting into penalty trouble. After killing off a Ryan Lindgren boarding minor, they had to pick up Kreider for a faceoff violation that came with 1:56 remaining in the second. Following another successful kill, Filip Chytil went off for hooking Esa Lindell. However, they again survived.

Rempe Gets the Gate for Elbowing Heiskanen

With 12:47 left to play, Rempe made a beeline for a prone Miro Heiskanen along the boards. He elbowed Heiskanen from behind right into the boards. The dangerous hit drew an immediate response from incensed Stars who went after him. Hintz and Rempe exchanged blows before the linesmen came in to break it up.

Unfortunately for Rempe, it was another bad decision. Despite his size and strength, he has to know when to draw the line. On the play involving Heiskanen, he came from directly behind and crushed the Stars defenseman. Even though the replay showed that Rempe braced for the hit, it doesn’t excuse him from having his elbow up making contact to the back of Heiskanen’s head against the boards. It was a reckless play by a young player who has to learn from these kinds of mistakes if he wants to stay in the league.

It also was unnecessary. It could have meant the game. There was no reason for Rempe to take that risk. The Rangers were leading 2-1. Had the Stars converted on the major penalty and come back to win, Rempe would have been the goat.

The refs got it right by assessing Rempe with a five-minute elbowing major and game misconduct. It’s inexcusable. In 22 career games, Rempe’s been ejected four times. That includes three times against the New Jersey Devils last season. The first two came due to illegal hits that injured players.

Nathan Bastian was the first victim on Feb. 22. Rempe was given a match penalty for head contact. On a play inside the Devils’ zone, Rempe came off the bench and caught Bastian with a vicious shoulder hit that made direct contact with the head. A bloody Bastian left the game. Jonas Siegenthaler took up for his teammate, which led to matching roughing minors.

On Mar. 11, Rempe caught Siegenthaler with an elbow right to the helmet that led to Kurtis MacDermid chasing after him. After Siegenthaler dumped the puck in, Rempe delivered the elbow that caught the Devils defenseman up high. He was assessed a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct. Siegenthaler suffered a concussion on the play. He missed three weeks but was back for the third meeting against the Rangers on Apr. 3.

In what was an eventful game between close Hudson rivals, everyone knew what was coming. Rempe had been called out by MacDermid for his dirty hit that injured Siegenthaler. Just two seconds in, all 10 skaters dropped the gloves in a line brawl that was eerily reminiscent of one that took place between the two clubs back in 2011-12. Rempe and MacDermid exchanged blows in a pretty even fight. On that night, he was accountable for his actions.

Due to Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Bahl getting their gloves off first, the other eight participants were automatically ejected from the game. That included both Rempe and MacDermid. On the Devils’ side, Curtis Lazar, John Marino, and Chris Tierney also got the rest of the night off. For the Rangers, that also included Barclay Goodrow, K’Andre Miller, and Jacob Trouba.

It made for a compelling game. The Rangers prevailed 4-3.

Player Safety Offers Rempe In-Person Hearing

Following the latest incident, the Department of NHL Player Safety offered Rempe an in-person hearing. That means that he’s likely to receive a suspension longer than the four games he served for injuring Siegenthaler last season. As a repeat offender, he’s put himself on the radar.

While some are calling it unfair, the truth is that Rempe has a bad reputation. He can’t run around elbowing defenseless players in the head and expect not to get punished. When he caught Bastian the first time, that was different. They made the appropriate call for illegal contact to the head. The ejection was enough.

Last night was only the fifth game he’s played this season. In the previous four, Rempe had seven penalty minutes. That included a lopsided fight against Dylan McIlrath back on Oct. 29. He was no match for McIlrath, who used his brute force and experience to pulverize Rempe. Following a stint with the Hartford Wolf Pack, he returned to play one game against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25. It didn’t make much sense.

After a more successful stint in Hartford, Rempe was summoned again by the Rangers. Peter Laviolette wanted to get him back in the lineup for Friday night. Even though there were some positives, the story has again become the illegal hit he delivered to Heiskanen. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt on the play. The top Stars defenseman didn’t miss a single shift.

That doesn’t excuse Rempe. He’s responsible for his actions. If it’s true that he’s a big and powerful young man, it’s also true that he must learn from his mistakes. On both the MSG Network telecast and postgame, Joe Micheletti and Steve Valiquette said that Rempe has to stop. Sometimes, the switch has to be turned off. Especially when an opponent is in a vulnerable position.

He’s about to serve his second suspension. It’ll be for more games. It could be anywhere from five to eight games. Rempe’s 22. He is still learning. He must mature quickly. Hearing him speak in interviews, he comes off fine. It becomes about making the adjustments. If he wants to have a successful career, it’s necessary.

While he has good character, it’s questionable for him to keep waving his hands at opponents following such dangerous hits. It doesn’t come off good. He has to realize his surroundings. It’s much different to do that after an entertaining scrap, like the one he had last season with MacDermid and a host of others.

There’s nothing wrong with having a player who can provide some energy during shifts. The 2024-25 Rangers have lacked that characteristic. If he does get another opportunity, Rempe must pick his spots better. He needs to watch video and learn a valuable lesson. He can be part of the team only if he plays within the boundaries.

When they play tomorrow and on Monday, the Rangers won’t have Rempe available. That’ll likely mean Vesey gets back in the lineup. Two days before Christmas, the Devils should have no reason to insert MacDermid. Rempe did them a favor. There won’t be fireworks in Newark before Christmas.

The Rangers must focus on continuing to win games. The quality of opponents only gets tougher. It’ll be much harder for Rempe the next time he plays for them.