UNIONDALE, N.Y. – New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy bent low and charged ahead, sensing a vulnerable rookie. The puck sat along the boards, behind the visiting goal line at Verizon Center, and with skinny forward Andre Burakovsky between him and possession, Leddy teed up the hit. He took two strides. He bent even lower and prepared to explode. He launched. He ran into a 20-year-old brick wall.
“We were talking about last night,” Washington Capitals forward Michael Latta said. “That’s a good play. Sometimes I go in the corner, guys like that, I think I’m going to toss them around.