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Playoffs Thread

My issue with Phaneuf, and not really with him but the comment that it's acceptable for him to hit someone in the head because he's taller is absurd. If they want to resolve the head injury issue, then they need to make the head off limits. You can't hit someone in the head even if they're 4'0" and you're 8'0". That's just not a logical exception if you truly want to reduce head injuries. If you high stick someone shorter than you, it's still high-sticking.

Personally the idea of not leaving your feet, or not raising your elbow is pretty meaningless considering elbows come up and feet leave the ground on every hit.

I do think if the league wants to survive, they need to do whatever they need to do to reduce concussions. Make hits to the head automatic double minors. The other side then needs to be calling a penalty on guys who put themselves in a vulnerable position - you can't skate around with your head down or drop your head to get avoid hits or to get a call either. There's not really any simple solution, but its absurd to say it's OK to hit a shorter guy in the head. (For the record, I'm not a Pens fan. I like physical play and big hits, and I'm not short)
 
Of course the Senators now have to rattle off a 4 goal game just to attempt to prove that they're not this year's version of the 90's Devils...
 
Punzil said:
Of course the Senators now have to rattle off a 4 goal game just to attempt to prove that they're not this year's version of the 90's Devils...
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Sens completely thrash the Penguins. Most interesting take on the game came from Mike Milbury of all people during the 1st intermission. He basically said (and it looked true) that they didn't follow the game plan and got pumped up by the crowd.....which caused them to go off-script and forecheck like crazy. I don't think Guy's gameplan was to be that aggressive on the forecheck. Happy accident as that is exactly were the Pens are weak right now with no healthy Dmen left.

That is the second game (including Game 1) the Pens brought nothing to the arena. A Sens win on Friday pretty much ends this unless something drastic happens.
 
Lots of press today about the Pens thinking about their starting goalie for game 4. I would play this the way this is typically played and go right back with Fleury for game 4. He got the Pens to this point in the playoffs and it wasn't his fault the Pens were crushed last night. Of course the Pen goaltending situation is pretty unique with the current backup being Matt Murray who is really the starter who was a major factor in the Pens Cup win last season.

Normally everything I predict in a situation like this ends up wrong, which would mean Matt Murray in game 4. Its nice to have options, which of course the Pens will almost certainly lose after this season because of the expansion draft forcing their hand with Fleury.
 
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cmon3 said:
My issue with Phaneuf, and not really with him but the comment that it's acceptable for him to hit someone in the head because he's taller is absurd.
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Yeah. It's a garbage opinion, IMO. They said the same crap about Scott Stevens' continued barrage of hits that all just happened to land on guy's heads ... no matter how tall they were. Amazing that a tallish fella doesn't just go full over the top of all those pesky little short guys. What? That NEVER happens? Oh. Maybe they actually are targeting the head.

The commentariat class picks guys to defend for reasons all their own. IMO guys who constantly whack other players in the head aren't old school or anything else other than a freaking menace to the game.

And given the state of the Pens' D right now I'm not at all shocked to see Ottawa open it up a notch. That bunch is held together with duct tape and bailing wire at this point. At times this post season, they've just looked inept. They tend to rebound with a stronger effort though, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see this thing tied right back up again after game four.
 
Ducks got a luck bounce in OT to tie up the Western finals, after barfing up a two goal lead late. I thought Anaheim deserved it, more or less ... but the winner was pure fortune. Perry spun one in the direction of the crease from way out on the half wall and it hit a skate and bounced in.

Also notable ... some eedgit fan in Nashville threw a dead mallard on the ice before the game. Don't freaking do that. Parks are full of those things and kids seem them as some sort of shared water pet that you feed wonder bread to. Just don't.
 
Pittsburgh tied up the series, although the Sens made 'em sweat it out with a late one. As predicted they tightened up their D zone coverage and focussed on banging a bit more with their line setups. This one is turning into a bit of a chess match.

Note in the Western series that Nashville has lost Johansson for the rest of the playoffs with a thigh injury that required surgery. That's a big, big blow to a team I was starting to think was the overall favorite.
 
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If the NHL doesn't suspend Wingles for the chicken-wing/elbow to the head of Scott Wilson with about 10 seconds left in a 7-0 blowout if just confirms what a garbage league the NHL is. There was NO intent to play the puck and it was a clear head shot. Definition of a cheap shot.
 
Yeah I can't see any way to not suspend him for that. It's was as dirty and intentional as it gets.
 
I should know better than to expect anything from the Neanderthal NHL offices. According to the NHL Front Office, this is a legal hockey play with 10 seconds left in a 7-0 blowout. Feel free to take cheap and blatant headshots at the opposing player as you won't even get a slap on the wrist.....let alone a suspension. I guess the only reason I thought this would lead to a suspension is that Wingels is a nobody and wouldn't be missed by anyone.....usually exactly the type of player the NHL makes an example of.

wilsoninjury.gif


The NHL is going to be pretty screwed in this lawsuit as there is a mountain of evidence and neglect related to headshots. http://www.nhlconcussionlitigation.com
Maybe the end result is it cleans house of Bettman and the rest of the clowns.
 
CarolinaPen said:
I should know better than to expect anything from the Neanderthal NHL offices. According to the NHL Front Office, this is a legal hockey play with 10 seconds left in a 7-0 blowout. Feel free to take cheap and blatant headshots at the opposing player as you won't even get a slap on the wrist.....let alone a suspension. I guess the only reason I thought this would lead to a suspension is that Wingels is a nobody and wouldn't be missed by anyone.....usually exactly the type of player the NHL makes an example of.

wilsoninjury.gif


The NHL is going to be pretty screwed in this lawsuit as there is a mountain of evidence and neglect related to headshots. http://www.nhlconcussionlitigation.com
Maybe the end result is it cleans house of Bettman and the rest of the clowns.
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It's a free for all at the end of some of these games and a bigger joke than anything else in pro sports. Let's also not forget about the joke known as the Anaheim series. I think the vicious nature of some of the garbage left uncalled in that series has also tarnished the game. I actually read that Anaheim's game plan is too take as many liberties as humanly possible with hopes that only a one third of them will actually be called penalties...that sounds about right with the idiots that officiate and run these games from the top.
 
CarolinaPen said:
I should know better than to expect anything from the Neanderthal NHL offices. According to the NHL Front Office, this is a legal hockey play with 10 seconds left in a 7-0 blowout. Feel free to take cheap and blatant headshots at the opposing player as you won't even get a slap on the wrist.....let alone a suspension. I guess the only reason I thought this would lead to a suspension is that Wingels is a nobody and wouldn't be missed by anyone.....usually exactly the type of player the NHL makes an example of.

wilsoninjury.gif


The NHL is going to be pretty screwed in this lawsuit as there is a mountain of evidence and neglect related to headshots. http://www.nhlconcussionlitigation.com
Maybe the end result is it cleans house of Bettman and the rest of the clowns.
Click to expand...

Come on guys, can't you see wingles was off his shingles, falling off balance. He had to reach out or else he would have fallen flat on his keister...
 
He had a helmet plus visor and it looked like contact was to the visor, not of the head as such.
Good hockey play. No penalty, no need for review. �� The NHL and its set of moving rules is pretty stupid.
 
Not a country music fan but Trisha Yearwood just CRUSHED the national anthem in Nashville. No histrionics, just sang the crap out of it.
 
Good riddance Anaheim. What a piece of crap dirty team.....See ya!!

Nice to see Nashville break through and congrats to Coach Lavy.....3rd team in Finals is pretty impressive.

Would be interesting to see the reaction in Montreal...everyone assumed they lost the Weber-Subban trade long term as Subban was younger, but damn it looks really bad right now from a Montreal perspective.
 
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