Rangers' Will Cuylle tries to extend his hitting streak in playoffs

It’s in Will Cuylle’s nature to hit people — on the ice, that is. And in Game 1 of the Rangers’ second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Cuylle hit a lot of people; he was credited with six body checks, the most on the Rangers, and tied with Carolina’s Jordan Staal for the most in the game.

“I've always been like a physical player, even going back to junior and minor hockey,’’ Cuylle, a 6-3, 210-pound rookie left wing from Toronto, said Monday. “So I think it's huge, especially in the playoffs. It's usually like, early in the series, [hitting will] wear down the ‘D.’ By the time Games 5 and 6 and 7 come around, they're feeling that extra [fatigue] and maybe the puck's in the corner and they back off of it, and maybe let you get to it first. So I feel like it's kind of an investment, if you want to say so.’’

Cuylle, who is taking part in his first NHL postseason, said he's  looking to be even more physical than he was in the regular season, when he led all rookies, and was seventh overall in the NHL with 249 hits in 81 games. He also managed 13 goals and eight assists when he had the puck.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said he hasn’t noticed Cuylle going out of his way to hit people since the playoffs started. He said he’s seeing the same game from Cuylle that he saw in the regular season. And that’s what he wants.

“His physicality has been pretty consistent all year,’’ Laviolette said Tuesday morning, before the Rangers and Carolina faced off in Game 2 of their series at Madison Square Garden. “I wouldn't say that he's ‘running around’ now, but we certainly need our guys to play their roles.

“He was pretty high with regard to hits on our team, for the league, and for rookies, so he's done a good job with that,’’ Laviolette said. “But it's not like we've asked him to change, and become this super physical guy. Just maintain his game. He's had a good season for us. Maintain that level of play through the playoffs.’’

In the first five games of the playoffs, Cuylle was second on the Rangers in hits with 17 (rookie Matt Rempe led the team with 21) and his average per game, 3.4, was up slightly, compared to the regular season, when he averaged 3.07 hits. Hitting is up around the league so far in the playoffs, and he’s well down in the rankings.

As far as hits in relation to ice time, Cuylle’s 18.10 hits per 60 minutes (he’s averaged 11 minutes, 16 seconds per game in time on ice) is 42nd overall in the playoffs. Rempe’s 36.91 is third-most.

Just racking up hits, though, is not always easy to do, Cuylle said.

“Obviously, every game I try to be physical, and sometimes there's a lot of opportunities to hit,’’ he said. “Some games, for some reason, the way it's going, you just don't get any chances to hit guys . . . If you have the puck a lot, there’s no chance to really hit anybody. If you're entering [the offensive zone] with possession, you don't really have a chance, on the forecheck, to hit someone. But you try to every game to do something to make it count.’’

Cuylle was asked if he ever feels pressure to play a physical game, just because t he has a big body. He said no. He hits because he likes it.

And as far as learning how to hit properly, and refining the art of hitting effectively, that is something that simply came with time.

“I think you just kind of like learn as you go,’’ he said. “I never really had like hitting lessons, or anything like that . . . You just kind of learn through experience, and you figure out what works, and what works well. Then, you kind of stick to it . . . I like to keep my arms tight to my body, and kind of brace like that. Some guys have their arms out, but I like to just kind of, like, ‘clench up,’ make everything tight. So you're firm when you hit someone.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.