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Brassard on Isles-Rangers rivalry game: ‘It was unreal’

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Being traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the New York Rangers must be a bit of a culture shock for Derick Brassard. He really got a taste of that on Saturday, as the Rangers beat the New York Islanders 1-0 in OT amid a scene that boasted what many described as a “playoff atmosphere.”

Being that he’s never played in a postseason game, it’s not surprising that this felt like a new experience for the 25-year-old forward.

“I’ve never played in a game like that before,” Brassard said. “It was unreal.”

Head coach John Tortorella didn’t give the Islanders a whole lot of thought before tonight’s game, but it seemed like the competitive match impressed him - to an extent (via ESPN’s Katie Strang).

“We’re happy to take part in a game like that with them,” Tortorella said.

He
stopped short of calling it a full-on rivalry, though.

#NYR He did say, however, that he doesn’t “buy the rivalry,” that it takes a playoff series to build that sort of hostility

— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) April 14, 2013