Eastern Conference Semi Finals: #1 Washington Capitals vs. #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

[flyerrod]

8 hours ago, radoran said:

 

Most of the velocity from the impact comes from Crosby skating falling into Niskanen

 

There, fixed it for you. It looked more like Niskanen was protecting himself than trying to injure Crosby. Ovechkin was certainly more to blame for any injury to Crosby than Niskanen was.

[MadDevil]

The overreaction to this is kind of sad. Yeah, it sucks Crosby is hurt, but guess what, hockey is a contact sport. Sometimes unfortunate things are going to happen. I highly doubt that in that split second Niskanen thought "Hey, I can get a free shot at Sid's head here" and went after him. The only way to "solve" this supposed problem would be to make stars off limits to physical contact or being played hard. Is that really what people want?

[nossagog]

8 minutes ago, MadDevil said:

The overreaction to this is kind of sad. Yeah, it sucks Crosby is hurt, but guess what, hockey is a contact sport. Sometimes unfortunate things are going to happen. I highly doubt that in that split second Niskanen thought "Hey, I can get a free shot at Sid's head here" and went after him. The only way to "solve" this supposed problem would be to make stars off limits to physical contact or being played hard. Is that really what people want?

I don't think that's what people want.  There is a reference to an article in The Hockey News about this somewhere in this thread.  The writer was pretty off the edge about this, but he made a great point in the article.   Things like slashing and crosschecking are not called all the time in the NHL, even though they are penalties, it just common place. So players(I don't totally blame them) will go to whatever lengths to do their job as long as its not called. Sid's slash on Methot is another example.  if they had less tolerance for these things and call it by the book, players would not do it out of habit because they can get away with it.  

 

Just like the hooking/holding/interference crackdown that they had, it work while they enforced it, but the players adjusted to it.  If Niskanen was not already going to deliver the crosscheck, this would not have happened. And if Crosby could have kept his balance, it would just be your run of the mill illegal/legal crosscheck. 

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

27 minutes ago, nossagog said:

I don't think that's what people want.  There is a reference to an article in The Hockey News about this somewhere in this thread.  The writer was pretty off the edge about this, but he made a great point in the article.   Things like slashing and crosschecking are not called all the time in the NHL, even though they are penalties, it just common place. So players(I don't totally blame them) will go to whatever lengths to do their job as long as its not called. Sid's slash on Methot is another example.  if they had less tolerance for these things and call it by the book, players would not do it out of habit because they can get away with it.  

 

Just like the hooking/holding/interference crackdown that they had, it work while they enforced it, but the players adjusted to it.  If Niskanen was not already going to deliver the crosscheck, this would not have happened. And if Crosby could have kept his balance, it would just be your run of the mill illegal/legal crosscheck. 

 

I agree with everything except the bolded part.  I don't think there would have been any contact at all if Crosby wasn't falling down.  Niskanen was covering another player until Crosby came careening into him.  Crosby more than likely would have stopped in front of the net or turned back up ice and Niskanen would have been at the side of the net (kind of where he ended up).

[ruxpin]

50 minutes ago, MadDevil said:

The overreaction to this is kind of sad. Yeah, it sucks Crosby is hurt, but guess what, hockey is a contact sport. Sometimes unfortunate things are going to happen. I highly doubt that in that split second Niskanen thought "Hey, I can get a free shot at Sid's head here" and went after him. The only way to "solve" this supposed problem would be to make stars off limits to physical contact or being played hard. Is that really what people want?

Well, not the only way. The other possibility is that it was a designed play. It was drawn up that way and acted to perfection. 

 

I've also heard that Niskanen uses a private email server and Ovechkin has met several times with Julian Assange. 

[FD19372]

19 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Well, not the only way. The other possibility is that it was a designed play. It was drawn up that way and acted to perfection. 

 

I've also heard that Niskanen uses a private email server and Ovechkin has met several times with Julian Assange. 

They've also discussed offensive play calling with James Comey, allegedly.

[nossagog]

Wow, won't be able to sleep for a while tonight.  Pens held on to win the game.   A little embarrassed by Bonino at the end, but it made up for the missed four minute penalty. 

[MadDevil]

Caps players must have nightmares about penguins.

[Samifan]

Hey Caps,

 

 

[FD19372]

The new logo for the Washington Capitals.

 

 

 

 

 

[ruxpin]

[hf101]

43 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The new logo for the Washington Capitals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

heh, I get it...

[Poulin20]

11 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The new logo for the Washington Capitals.

 

 

 

 

 

[FD19372]

1 hour ago, Samifan said:

Hey Caps,

 

 

If it's any consolation to the Caps, Reggie Miller and the Pacers lost that series.

[MadDevil]

Normally I'd say losing to the defending champs isn't choking, but the Pens are without their best forward and best defenseman and you STILL can't beat them?

[nossagog]

19 minutes ago, MadDevil said:

Normally I'd say losing to the defending champs isn't choking, but the Pens are without their best forward and best defenseman and you STILL can't beat them?

Don't forget  their starting goalie.

[MadDevil]

26 minutes ago, nossagog said:

Don't forget  their starting goalie.

 

And they're playing a goalie who has had issues in the playoffs before. If ever there was a time for them to finally get past the Pens, this would be it. But it's looking like yet another year without even getting to the ECF.

 

That might be the most damning thing about the Caps. They haven't even made it to a conference final (during the Ovechkin era) in a conference that has a different winner seemingly every year.

[flyercanuck]

7 hours ago, MadDevil said:

Caps players must have nightmares about penguins. playoffs.

 

Fixed.

[hf101]

22 hours ago, radoran said:

 

What's bad for the game? Having a team decide that they should take away time and space from the other team's superstar?

 

Isn't that exactly what they should do?

 

I'm curious what people who are upset with the hit want Niskanen to do in that situation?

 

It's not an egregious hit like Stevens' was on Lindros. And even Ovechkin's stick is nothing at all like, for example, smacking a guy in the groin with your stick*.

 

Most of the velocity from the impact comes from Crosby skating into Niskanen.

 

It sucks that players get hurt - but the fact of the game (and, in fact, every game) is that people can get hurt.

 

 

 

* Crosby doesn't "deserve" a concussion for trying to emasculate "hit the stick of" O'Reilly, but he isn't exactly occupying a whole lot of high ground in this discussion.

 

 

What's bad for the game is taking the meaning of "time and space" to the next level -->Cheap Shots --> player injury.

 

 

Ovechkin didn't miss, he deliberately hit him with the high stick so Crosby couldn't get to the rebound. It is that strike that causes Crosby to lose his balance, Niskanen was in the right place at the right time to get another cheap shot in of which neither are "hockey plays".  

 

I have a hard time believing that both Capitals players were just happened to deliver shots to the head at random. The conversation of getting to Crosby up high with some cheap shots likely happened in the locker room, anything to get him off his game.

 

 

[flyercanuck]

17 minutes ago, hf101 said:

 

What's bad for the game is taking the meaning of "time and space" to the next level -->Cheap Shots --> player injury.

 

 

Ovechkin didn't miss, he deliberately hit him with the high stick so Crosby couldn't get to the rebound. It is that strike that causes Crosby to lose his balance, Niskanen was in the right place at the right time to get another cheap shot in of which neither are "hockey plays".  

 

I have a hard time believing that both Capitals players were just happened to deliver shots to the head at random. The conversation of getting to Crosby up high with some cheap shots likely happened in the locker room, anything to get him off his game.

 

 

 

I honestly don't think Niskanen intended to hit Crosby in the head. Did he mean to give him a crosscheck? Sure. That play happens all the time in every level of hockey...especially in front of the net I don't even think he's looking at Crosby when he gives him a shot...and Crosby is falling.

 

 Ovechkin did what he intended.

[nossagog]

27 minutes ago, hf101 said:

 

What's bad for the game is taking the meaning of "time and space" to the next level -->Cheap Shots --> player injury.

 

 

 

Is that like Finishing Check-> Late Hit->Player Injury.

 

But its what the NHL allows.  The more times I read The Hockey Article, the more thoughts that go through mind(or what's left of it).  In this day and age, at some point, the league is going to pay a high price on the legal front for "Old Time Hockey".  And I don't think they'll have a leg to stand on. 

[B21]

10 hours ago, nossagog said:

Wow, won't be able to sleep for a while tonight.  Pens held on to win the game.   A little embarrassed by Bonino at the end, but it made up for the missed four minute penalty. 

 

Don't be embarrassed by Bonino. At this point - after everything the Caps have done - I have noooooooooo qualms with anything the Pens try to gain an edge (aside from maybe two-hander to OV's head).  Oshie did the same thing last year on a high stick from Bonino (ironically). Also, the officials missed a high stick by Burakovsky on Guentzel that drew blood. That's a 4:00 PP gone by the wayside.

 

 

[nossagog]

41 minutes ago, B21 said:

 

Don't be embarrassed by Bonino. At this point - after everything the Caps have done - I have noooooooooo qualms with anything the Pens try to gain an edge (aside from maybe two-hander to OV's head).  Oshie did the same thing last year on a high stick from Bonino (ironically). Also, the officials missed a high stick by Burakovsky on Guentzel that drew blood. That's a 4:00 PP gone by the wayside.

 

 

Actually I'd go back a few years for the Ovie head snap where there wasn't a stick near him.   I remember Don Cherry going ballistic on that one.    Still don't like it though B, still probably win the game and wouldn't give their fans whining excuses. 

[B21]

10 minutes ago, nossagog said:

Actually I'd go back a few years for the Ovie head snap where there wasn't a stick near him.   I remember Don Cherry going ballistic on that one.    Still don't like it though B, still probably win the game and wouldn't give their fans whining excuses. 

 

I hear you. I know I'm in the minority. It just doesn't  bother me all that much. It's part of the game for years and there is some aspect of it in every sport (some more than others of course).

[Samifan]

43 minutes ago, nossagog said:

Actually I'd go back a few years for the Ovie head snap where there wasn't a stick near him.   I remember Don Cherry going ballistic on that one.    Still don't like it though B, still probably win the game and wouldn't give their fans fan whining excuses. 

Fixed it for you