Matt Rempe gives Rangers extra jolt with physical presence in Game 2 win

Matt Rempe’s day started with him spinning a yarn about his off-day trip to a White Plains escape room with Adam Edstrom. 

It ended some 13 hours later with him standing amidst a crowd in the Rangers’ locker room, talking about his reaction when Peter Laviolette called his name late in the 2-1 overtime victory over the Panthers. 

“I heard Lavi call my name with two minutes left, I was like, ‘Oh man, let’s go. Jiminy Crickets, let’s go,’ ” Rempe said. “Just tried to go out there, buzz around, do my job. Just felt really good in the game. I felt good with the puck, felt good with the D-zone. Overtime, got an O-zone shift, I was pretty excited about that one. It was just a blast. So much fun.” 

Whatever your opinion of Rempe, give him this: He knows how to own a room. 

The 21-year-old got his first action of the conference final Friday night after being at the center of a 48-hour news cycle in which everyone from Wayne Gretzky to Mark Messier called for him to be inserted into the Rangers’ lineup. 

And then he only went out and lived up to the billing, playing 10:03, throwing nine hits and contributing all over the ice in a game the Rangers had a concerted physical edge compared to the Game 1 loss.