The temperature of the Stanley Cup Final is getting hotter all of the time. Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins shutout the Nashville Predators 6-0. After the game got away from the Predators, the action on the ice got a little more rambunctious.
During the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, the home team has outscored the visitors 24-6. Based on those previous results, I expect a different result Sunday. Neither team has won on the other team’s home ice.
During game five this exchange happened during the end of the second period. For their efforts, Sydney Crosby and P.K. Subban were given holding minors for their on-ice behavior. On it’s face, it was an interesting exchange.
During the series between the Senators and the Penguins, one of Pittsburgh beat writers said this.
The NHL will be better — or, at the very least, closer in resemblance to hockey as it should be played — when its rulebook is drafted by a group of former skilled players, a group to which GMs rarely have belonged. Also, the NHL will be better — or, at the very least, not laughable — when its on- and off-ice officials begin taking seriously the issue of head safety.
The NHL does not.
First, in my humble opinion, both of these players are star players. Okay. Here’s my question: isn’t this the same kind of play that Rob Rossi has been railing against during the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Rossi’s fellow writer Matt Rosenburg made light of the incident.
After getting tied up with Nashville star P.K. Subban behind the net toward the end of the first period period, Crosby — while trying to get unlocked and grab his stick — did his best Michael Jordan and dribbled (for lack of a better term) Subban’s head off the ice a few times.
Let’s turn the tables, imagine if this is Crosby getting his head bounced off of the ice. Would the Penguins writers react differently to this event? Would there be calls for the offending player to be suspended for the rest of the Stanley Cup Final? Is driving your opponents head into the ice a hockey play?
I want to be clear, the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been fabulous. You couldn’t ask for a better final. That being said, the level of officiating has been pathetic. This act warrants more than a two-minute minor penalty, but I guess it’s okay because Subban had it coming, right?
Facts aside, the league’s officials are reluctant to penalize Gary Bettman’s favorite player. People paid good money to watch him play hockey, and they don’t want to see him sitting in the penalty box. Finally, I think we should eliminate this type of head contact from the game of hockey. I don’t think we want the players driving each other’s head into the ice.
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— ℹ️🅰️N (@CAPS_NAT1ON) June 9, 2017
Rinne Struggles in Pittsburg
Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne was brutal on Thursday night, he let in three goals on 10 shots. During the Stanley Cup Final, Rinne has allowed 11 goals (in seven periods) on the Penguins home ice. Obviously, Rinne’s is struggling on the Penguins home ice. During the Stanley Cup Final, Rinne’s save percentage is an unacceptable .756. If the Predators can even the series in Nashville, there’s going to be some questions in the Predators locker room going into game seven.
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