UNIONDALE, N.Y. – In the interest further pursuing body-part journalism, following up to this week’s print story on the immovable effectiveness of forward Joel Ward’s butt, this is a story about forward Michael Latta’s mouth. There are also plenty of other pregame notes below, so skip ahead if you so desire, but first let’s start with the rookie center, playing in his first career NHL postseason, living in the moment one hit, chirp or bitten stick at a time.
“These are high-energy, intense games,” Latta said. “They come really hard. They’ve got a hard-hitting team over there.