ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brendan Smith was angry and befuddled heading into the Rangers’ 6-3 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday night.
The edgy defenseman had taken a bad penalty and got into a fight that set the tone for a hellish second period Sunday night en route to a 4-2 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles. But just before that, Smith had been nailed with a high hit from Kings forward Kyle Clifford that drew only a two-minute minor for charging.
And that is what was still bothering Smith as he prepared to face the Ducks at Honda Center in the third leg of the Rangers’ four-game trip.