Rite of Spring 2013 (NHL Playoffs): "You have no fear of the underdog, that's why you will not survive."

[dbadefense1990]

And this was on the NHL homepage. See if you can find the error.

The tag line for tonight's score is listed as "Game 1" on the bottom left corner of this screenshot.

Anybody else thinks that Darryl Sutter sounds like Sylvester Stallone?

I think so...all while looking like a silent goat.

[zpqmaowl]

And this was on the NHL homepage. See if you can find the error.

The Sharks were stunned after blowing a playoff game in the last five minutes?

[Lights Out]

Wow, that was an amazing comeback.... I thought the Kings were dead in the water tonight for sure and was just hoping they'd take this game as a wake-up call and refocus. Looks like they woke up a little early.

Tough way to lose for the Sharks, but they've been much better at home this year than on the road. This will still be a tough series for the Kings.

[DaRadniz29]

The angle I saw looked like it deflected off Carter, which would nullify the DoG. What pissed me off was the official with the best angle said it was deflected off Carter (I'm pretty sure you can see it on the video) but the official with the worst angle overruled him. The refs are so arrogant and matter-of-fact that they don't even seem to listen to the other officials or care - that conference last about 2 seconds. But the Sharks couldn't kill the 5-on-3.

And this was on the NHL homepage. See if you can find the error.

The Sharks were stunned after blowing a playoff game in the last five minutes?

Dbadefense1990 got it right. Bottom left of the picture they say Game 1. Minor but I've realized this really belongs in "what grinds your gears" thread.

[Kramerica Industries]

Probably the biggest problem is that the delay of game rulings are considered judgement calls, and cannot be reviewed.

I'm not saying that it is conclusive there was a deflection, and the Kings black sweaters probably make it impossible to determine contact or not, in this case, but it does lead to some hand-wringing when the game is on the line, and a questionable judgement has the effect of giving one of the teams a 5-on-3 power play.

But that's how it works. Given what they have to work with, you really can't pin a single thing on the refs here. If it looks like a delay of game, you have to call it. Just sucks that it left the Sharks two men short, and took two of their best defencemen off the ice. Even after LA had tied it, you're still trying to kill a penalty, against a re-energized team in a re-energized building, without your best D-man. Yeah, good luck with that proposition.

[DaRadniz29]

I'm on 3G on my phone - cant access main site

on my computer. Not sure why, but I was in the middle

of updating The playoff bracket. If someone else wants

to get the image from my photobucket feel free.

Thanks.

Edit: I'm back now. Don't know what that was about - stupid internet. Anyway all is updated:

[Sport]

When did LA become the team that gets all the lucky bounces during the playoffs?

I don't know, but it's getting quite annoying isn't it?

Considering the Blue Jackets have their first round pick and the earlier the Kings leave the playoffs the better the first round pick is for my team, yes very annoying.

Also, f*** Jeff Carter.

[HedleyLamarr]

The delay of game penalty for accidentally shooting the puck over the glass has got to stop next year. 90% of the time it's an accident. It's a horrible rule and I'm not really sure what it's trying to prevent.

If a guy shoots the puck overt the glass on purpose, fine, but most of the time the penalty is called it's an accident, and that shouldn't be a penalty.

I like the rule because it forces the defending team to "make a play" without having the safety blanket of the puck going out-of-play, whether it's intentional or not. It forces them to either puck-handle their way out of the defensive zone or shoot/dump the puck over the ice.....both situations where an offensive player has a possible advantage. You can't let intent become part of the discussion because players will start using that to their advantage and feign their way into some judgments, kinda like how some players exaggerate their skating in order to pick up an icing call.

That delay-of-game penalty, along with the no-change on icings, have really helped create more scoring chances.

[Kramerica Industries]

I like the rule because it forces the defending team to "make a play" without having the safety blanket of the puck going out-of-play, whether it's intentional or not.

You know, I really don't disagree. I appreciate the art of the defending team having to find their own way of negotiating the puck out of the zone.

At the same rate, though, situations like last night do irk me specifically because of intent. If you look at the play, Vlasic was facing the boards, but he was never looking that way. He was looking down at the puck, and was probably just trying to get enough lift on the puck to hit the glass and go back to centre/offensive zone, maybe to help get a quick change in, depending on where the puck went. On top of that, there is a pretty good chance there was a deflection off the Los Angeles player that becomes almost indiscernible given that it's a black puck deflecting off a black sweater.

Even if you argue that it is impossible to judge intent, I still don't like that it's labeled a judgement decision for the official, since it takes away the ability to review whether the puck was deflected or not. This isn't really like that icing call against the Sharks against the Canucks in the playoffs two years ago, because in that situation, even if the call were overruled upon a theoretical replay, it only would've changed the faceoff location (and where would it go, anyway? Centre, or on the SJ/VAN sides of the neutral zone?), the puck was still dead, even if it shouldn't have been. That wasn't the case last night. The puck ended up out of play. Even if there was no conclusive way to determine a deflection, at least it looks like a token effort of trying to make the right call.

I'm not trying to get San Jose out of jail here, either. Stuart so clearly tripped Toffoli that they were already facing a risky proposition of maintaining their lead on the soon-to-be 6-on-4 power play without a top penalty killer. But the iffy delay-of-game (because of a potential deflection, not intent) to another top penalty killer just made it impossible to maintain the lead. As it turned out, it also made it impossible to force overtime.

But to finish on the delay of game note, it just gets irritating at times that it's an automatic call. I distinctly remember two Bruins games (against Montreal and Buffalo) where they surrendered the lead in the waning seconds because they were sent to the penalty kill on two delay of game penalties that couldn't possibly have been intentional (especially the Montreal one; wtf was that?). It's a rule that has a good intention behind it, but could benefit from better language.

[Maz]

The way I see it, it's like your typical "unintentional" high stick or trip. Yeah, you didn't mean to whack the guy in the face or push his foot out from under him, but it still happened and the call still has to be made. Yeah, you didn't purposely put the puck over the glass, but in the NHL you should be skilled enough to at least be able to hit a wall of plexiglass with the puck without putting it over.

[ninersdd]

When did LA become the team that gets all the

lucky bounces during the playoffs?

I don't know, but it's getting quite annoying isn't it?

Considering the Blue Jackets have their first round pick and the earlier the Kings leave the playoffs the better the first round pick is for my team, yes very annoying.

Also, f*** Jeff Carter.

Regardless of the 1st round pick, Carter for Jack Johnson was highway robbery for LA. The Sharks abused JJ in the first round 2 years ago.

[Sport]

When did LA become the team that gets all the

lucky bounces during the playoffs?

I don't know, but it's getting quite annoying isn't it?

Considering the Blue Jackets have their first round pick and the earlier the Kings leave the playoffs the better the first round pick is for my team, yes very annoying.

Also, f*** Jeff Carter.

Regardless of the 1st round pick, Carter for Jack Johnson was highway robbery for LA. The Sharks abused JJ in the first round 2 years ago.

Maybe on a purely statistical measure it was highway robbery, but there's a lot of other factors in play. Namely, Jeff Carter was a coasting cry-baby the entire time he was in Columbus and the leadership on the team wasn't strong enough to tell him suck it up and play. He was a dressing room cancer from day one so he had to be moved. Conversely, Jack Johnson couldn't wait to get out of LA. He didn't like the city, and I don't think he was well-liked in that dressing room. In his words "if I didn't have someone drive me to the airport I would've gotten a speeding ticket getting out of LA". JMFJ was probably the first player excited to get traded to the Blue Jackets and his presence almost instantly changed the culture on the team. They have a winning record since acquiring him. The intangible element makes the Carter-Johnson trade work for me as a Blue Jackets fan.

I was excited to get Jeff Carter at first because I was expecting him to play in Columbus the way he's played for LA and I thought we'd have him for a long time, but with the way that whole debacle played out I wouldn't pull the trigger on that trade if I could go back in time and had a say in the matter. I'd love to still have Jake Voracek. Now that said, I'm pleased with what JJ's brought to the team and things are finally looking up so it all worked out for everybody.

[The_Admiral]

Every time I scroll by your avatar I think it's Joel Quenneville.

[Sport]

Every time I scroll by your avatar I think it's Joel Quenneville.

Great mustaches look alike.

[Kramerica Industries]

And, to think, I thought that was going to be another post giving Jeff Carter a pass because he should've never been condemned to playing in Columbus in the first place.

Not that I blame you. Anyone would be pissed if they thought they had a (de facto) lifetime contract with one team, and then suddenly got shipped unceremoniously to a crappy team without any hint of discontent from the higher ups in the organization.

At least it all worked for Carter in the end, didn't it?

(Not that McCarthy or any other CBJ fans are in poor form to dislike the guy, but I can sympathize with him from an outsiders perspective.)

[Sport]

And, to think, I thought that was going to be another post giving Jeff Carter a pass because he should've never been condemned to playing in Columbus in the first place.

Not that I blame you. Anyone would be pissed if they thought they had a (de facto) lifetime contract with one team, and then suddenly got shipped unceremoniously to a crappy team without any hint of discontent from the higher ups in the organization.

At least it all worked for Carter in the end, didn't it?

(Not that McCarthy or any other CBJ fans are in poor form to dislike the guy, but I can sympathize with him from an outsiders perspective.)

So can I, actually. If he had refused to report I would've understood and the league probably had grounds to veto the trade. What Paul Holmgren did to trade him days before his NTC was going to kick in was slimy slime slime slimy, BUT once you do report it's time to accept reality and move forward and I don't think he ever moved forward. I dislike him because he was a huge contributing factor in the worst season I've ever gone through as a fan and for all his whining he was still a professional athlete making millions of dollars. There's worse fates than playing hockey in Columbus, Ohio.

Plus, he's just kind of an a$$hole.

[TorinK29]

You got to hand it to a certain Pens fan, "RON MACLEAN BABY, RON MACLEAN!!!" should be how they open every HNIC/Hockey Tonight.

[cmm]

According to NBC's lineups, number 14 on Ottawa is Colin Greenberg.

[BLUELANDbeliever]

B E A utiful

[TorinK29]

Robin Lehner just stonewalled Iginla.

Ottawa might still be in this.