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Anders Lee Offers First Comment on Illegal Check to Nico Hischier vs. Devils

Originally posted on New Jersey Hockey Now
By James Nichols | Last updated 3/26/24

Anders Lee made his first comment on the illegal hit that had him thrown from Sunday’s tilt against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils routed the New York Islanders to a 4-0 shutout on Sunday in a game that became a bit chippy toward the end.

The Islanders are amid a frustrating portion of their schedule. After winning six games in a row, they’ve lost seven of their last eight games and have put themselves out of playoff position.

As a result of their frustration, with the Devils leading the Islanders 3-0 near the end of the second period, Lee threw an illegal knee-on-knee check to Devils captain Nico Hischier.

Devils forward Timo Meier rushed to the defense of the Devils’ captain and dropped the gloves with Lee, each receiving a five-minute fighting major.

Additionally, Lee received a match penalty and was ejected from the game.

There is no further discipline coming as a result of the knee-on-knee. Lee offered his first comment on Tuesday, stating he felt the match penalty was enough punishment.

“I felt the penalty on the ice was sufficient,” Lee explained. “I was just going in to get a poke-check and get into Hischier there and by the end of it, he’s moving, I keep my lane, and I do [check him knee-on-knee]. It was completely unintentional and I’m glad to see him come back and play the rest of the game.

“But as a result of the play, I think it got called appropriately. At full speed, it happens fast, he’s trying to avoid me at the same time and things happen but obviously, you don’t want to see something like that happen in the way it did.”

As for Meier, Lee has no issue with the Devils’ power forward defending Hischier.

“Anytime you get a piece of somebody, you expect that,” Lee said. “No problem at all.”

The Islanders’ captain has a physical history with the Devils, fighting Brendan Smith in the division rivals’ last meeting. That ended in Lee heading to the Isles’ locker room bloodied. Despite the history, Lee was happy to see Hischier was OK.

“I think he knows that I don’t play that way or anything,” Lee concluded. “It was unintentional, just a really bad result. I was glad to see that was all that came of it… I’m glad he’s healthy and there’s nothing more than that.”