I'm sorry for the title folks. I hate the NBA (Now Boring All). It seems like the NHL is trying to be like the NBA with the tables leaning towards the home side. I never quite understood home dominance in the NBA, the court is the same in all arenas, both nets are always empty, what's the deal?
Distracting music while shooting and a referee bias for the locals? Perhaps.
Let me throw out a disclaimer. I have no vested interest in any team winning or losing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
I'm Switzerland, completely neutral.
There were two great games tonight until there was a tilting of shorthanded situations towards the visitors.
DET had 6 PP's tonight, ANA had 3. BOS had 3PP's, CAR had 1.
A couple of penalties raised the Mr. Spock eyebrow.
I'm sorry Jiri Hudler got thumped, no one deserves to get hit like that and I think head hits should be outlawed, the IIHF agrees. However, Hudler was admiring his pass and he was hit legally. The NHL owes Mike Brown an apology.
Then we have the BS call of the night.
It came against Ryan Brayda. If anything, Tim Thomas should have been called for interference.
Jokinen scores the tying goal, Thomas is a foot+ out of his crease, Brayda collides with him, accidentally, and Brayda gets two for interference.
Momentum for Carolina is now lost.
In the words of Colonel Potter “horse hockey”
If anything, you call incidental contact. No penalty on anyone. Calling a penalty on that play will give goalies the impression they can wander out of their crease and interfere with the play and get the benefit from it.
Hello NHL, this is not the NBA where if a visiting player says “hi” instead of “hello” the home side is shooting two.
Be nice, call it fair on the ice. Nice rhyme.
Gibby