NEW YORK -- Surgery, suspensions and thuggery. Bennie Logan Jersey . The storylines surrounding the Eastern Conference final reached Shakespearean proportions Friday. As he was in Game 3 Thursday night, Montreal fourth-liner Brandon Prust was slap bang in the middle of the mayhem. What had seemed like a quiet off-day quickly turned dramatic when New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault revealed that forward Derek Stepan, laid out by an unpenalized blindside hit from Prust two minutes 45 seconds into the game, had suffered a broken jaw that needed surgery. Three hours later, Rangers agitator Dan Carcillo was suspended 10 games for physical abuse of an official on a play that came minutes after the Prust hit, as New York looked for retribution. The Carcillo incident came 5:51 into Thursdays game after a fight between Derek Dorsett of the Rangers and Prust. Carcillo, a fourth-liner, had been penalized for charging Prust on the play. The league said Carcillo "physically applied force to linesman Scott Driscoll while being escorted to the penalty box." The suspension was automatic under category 2 of Rule 40.3, titled Physical Abuse of Officials. Prust, meanwhile, was handed a two-game suspension for interference for the Stepan hit later Friday. It has added more drama to a series that saw Montreals all-world goalie Carey Price sent to the sidelines in Game 1 after coming out the worst for wear in a collision with six-foot-three, 230-pound Ranger Chris Kreider. For Vigneault, the missed Prust call Thursday set off a domino effect whose ripples were still being felt the next day. "Four referees missed the call," Vigneault said. "Stepan is injured. The same player that called the hit on Price accidental but on purpose. Late hit, everything that you want to get out of the game, that was his hit on Stepan. "And what saddens me about that hit is, if the call is made on the ice, were on a five-minute power play, and what happened to Dan Carcillo, and what Dan did is inexcusable, and hes going to pay a big price for it, but if the call is made on the ice, hes not put in that position. "So its unfortunate. Step (Stepan) right now at this time is probably getting operated on. He broke his jaw (Thursday), so well have an idea of the time frame (Saturday). But those are stuff that happens during the game that you have to deal with, and thats what were going to try to do." Dressed in jeans and flip-flops, Vigneault looked like he was in relaxation mode. But he was clearly irate at a sequence of events which he believes could have been avoided. Stepan went briefly to the dressing room after the hit, yelling over his shoulder at Prust as he exited. But he returned later in the period and amazingly played a total of 17:45 in the game. A team spokesman said X-rays that night were negative. But Stepan was in pain and saw a specialist Friday, when further tests detected the broken jaw. It seems unlikely that Stepan, who centres Rick Nash and Kreider on the Rangers top line, will be back any time soon. New York leads the series to two games to one. Prust, a former Ranger who counts Canadian UFC lightweight Sam (Hands of Stone) Stout as a friend, was not made available Friday as both teams, skipping practice in advance of Game 4 Sunday, offered up their coaches and select players. Montreal coach Michel Therrien defended his player. "His intention was not to hurt anyone," he said. "Like Kreider, his intention, even if he was going hard to the net and then laying on Carey Price, Im sure his intention was not to hurt Carey Price. Brandon Prust, he tried to finish his check. His intention, honestly, was not to hurt Stepan." Then Therrien suggested the Canadiens knew better than anybody about losing a star player. "If there is a team that can understand the loss of a player, its us. We lost Carey Price in the first game of the series with the hit on Kreider when he hit Carey Price, and we felt frustrated at the time. Were still frustrated not having our goalie, our No. 1 most important player." Therrien, taking a page from Vigneaults book from the Price injury debate, called it "a hockey hit." Habs forward David Desharnais called it a clean hit, with Prust just wanting to get his team going. "You never want to see a guy injured like that but, like I said, we were fighting for our lives (Thursday) and we wanted to set the tone," he said. At five foot seven, Desharnais is one of the Hobbit-like Canadiens. But the first-liner wins praise from his coach for his compete level. And he knows the value of getting under an opponents skin, as Prust clearly did in Game 3. "They were not happy about it," he said of the Rangers. "Everybody got a little chirp here and there and the game was on." A day later, the Rangers still wanted justice. "I think guys were unhappy there wasnt a call on the play," Kreider told reporters. "Obviously, it was away from the play so not a lot of people saw it. But I think the sentiment today is the same as it was yesterday, that it wasnt a clean hit. Hopefully the league deals with it justly." Custom Titans Jerseys . - Mike Zimmer has brought a demanding style to the Minnesota Vikings. Luke Stocker Titans Jersey . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012. http://www.thetitansfansclub.com/Black-Friday-Harold-Landry-Jersey/ . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game.Jordan Henderson deserves the chance to captain England in Tuesdays World Cup qualifier in Slovenia, says John Aldridge. The Liverpool captain takes the armband from Wayne Rooney, who has been dropped to the bench by England interim boss Gareth Southgate.And former Liverpool striker Aldridge believes Southgates decision to appoint midfielder Henderson is the right one. England interim manager Gareth Southgate says Jordan Hendersons experience as Liverpool captain made him the stand out candidate to replace Wayne Rooney He wrote in his Liverpool Echo column: What a great honour it is for Jordan Henderson to captain England against Slovenia.Its another sign of his development and he deserves it. Henderson has had so many doubters over the years and I must admit I was one of them during his first season at Anfield, when he didnt do himself justice.But overr time he has grown as a player and as a leader. Will Compton Jersey. OK, it was only Malta on Saturday but Henderson was head and shoulders above anyone else on that pitch at Wembley. A look back at Jordan Hendersons career with club and country Hes such an honest player. He never hides. Hes always looking to get on the ball. After a tough year with injuries, he has proved hes back to his best this season and thats great news both for Liverpool and England. You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Rooney will not quit England Slovenia v England preview Henderson: Roo our leader Rooney dropped to bench Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Braves Jerseys Cheap Orioles Jerseys Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Cheap White Sox Jerseys Cheap Reds Jerseys Cheap Indians Jerseys Cheap Rockies Jerseys Cheap Tigers Jerseys Cheap Astros Jerseys Cheap Royals Jerseys Cheap Angels Jerseys Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '