It came about nine minutes into the second period of Game 6, Alexis Lafreniere apparently catching Victor Hedman with a rising check that brushed the defenseman’s head.

Hedman returned to the bench, smashed his stick against the boards and left Saturday’s match for the final 10:45 of the second period before taking a regular shift in the third period. No penalty was called on the play. No hit was recorded on the league’s official game sheet.

But that play by Lafreniere on which he went straight up against Tampa Bay’s decorated 6-foot-6 defenseman without a fear in the world was emblematic of the way No. 13 competed throughout the Rangers’ 20-game playoff run. He was physically relentless beginning with the first game of the first round. He could run his mouth from time to time. He was never overly respectful of his opponents.

“It’s hard to play like that for 82 games, but that’s how I play,” Lafreniere said. “That’s really how I wanted to play. Being physical is a big part of my game.