In what was a classic game that involved true violence, the Edmonton Oilers evened the series against Vegas Golden Knights with a tour de force performance. This game had everything, including the rare (in this era) deliberate attempt to injure. It’s a sprint now, the winner of this series is going to look rode hard and put away wet and of that there is no doubt.
You should be proud of these Edmonton Oilers this morning. The team ignited a firestorm response from the surly Golden Knights, then answered back with a crossfire hurricane. In the games to come in this series, there will be blood.
It was a defining moment for this team. The kiss of death, the embrace of life, beneath the Marquee Moon.
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: What’s the key to Oilers having more success at 5-on-5?
- DNB: Oilers’ losses inevitably put a spotlight on Cody Ceci
- DNB: Why Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are better off apart vs. the Golden Knights
- Lowetide: The Edmonton Oilers’ 6 biggest playoff surprises so far
- Lowetide: Identifying a 2023 NHL Draft sleeper prospect for the Oilers
- New DNB: Oilers flash power-play strength, ‘identity’ in Vegas
- Lowetide: Oilers’ young players taking on bigger role in 2023 playoffs
- DNB: Why Oilers’ playoff fate depends on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finding another gear
- DNB: Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl’s 4-goal outburst doesn’t mask Game 1 disappointment
- Lowetide: 6 keys to Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft’s playoff success
- DNB: Why Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combo is the ultimate luxury: ‘It’s magic’
- Lowetide: Why the Oilers beat the Kings — and can beat the Golden Knights
- Lowetide: 6 biggest AHL Bakersfield Condors stories from 2022-23 season
- DNB: Oilers move on to Round 2 after Kailer Yamamoto’s goal rescues them from Stuart Skinner’s blooper
- Lowetide: What’s Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway’s future NHL role?
- Lowetide: Oilers’ forward-heavy pipeline suggests defence-driven 2023 NHL Draft
- Lowetide: Stock up or down for every Oilers prospect in the system
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2022
DEFENSE AND GOALIE
Stuart Skinner had a fine game, and he also had great support (especially on a couple of questionable decisions with the puck). His stop on Mark Stone early in the proceedings was massive. I like his calm demeanor and the fact he doesn’t back down on anything. He has a .909 save percentage at five-on-five, I suggested before the playoffs a .915 save percentage would be rock solid for the rookie. That’s a gap of fewer than two goals. He’s doing well.
Darnell Nurse is going to be in the pressbox on Friday night, we’ll talk about that in a minute. I thought he played a strong game and the numbers above reflect it. Drew two penalties, had 17 pims all by his lonesome, and played a game the VGK did not enjoy. Cody Ceci also had a strong game, workmanlike defensively and enough skill with the puck to allow plays to develop. A most encouraging sign.
Mattias Ekholm scored a fantastic goal, his slapper from the circle is visually appealing and deadly effective. Someone mentioned in the comments section he plays a textbook (ideal, intelligent, not a movement out of place) game that should be studied and taught. He’s going to play a ton of minutes Friday. Evan Bouchard’s point shot is capable of huge damage, it’s an absolute missile. What a shot on the second goal. He’s playing a more physical game now, maturing as a player.
Brett Kulak and Vincent Desharnais had mostly a rocking chair evening. Kulak took and drew a penalty, had one reasonable look. He has been quality in two playoffs now, I don’t think they’ll trade the man this summer. Desharnais took an ugly elbow penalty that drew a call as well. The big man also delivered on HDSC on the evening.
FORWARDS
Connor McDavid brought all of his considerable skills to last night’s game. His two assists emphasize just how many sorties he was a part of on the night, with his two shots, one HDSC and one penalty drawn also part of the evening. I liked his immediate response after Alex Pietrangelo’s 1970’s-style hammer slash of Leon Draisaitl. That’s a captain. I expect McDavid’s performance will burn with the fire of a thousand suns between now and the handshake line.
Leon Draisaitl had a monster evening that climaxed in Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to deliver a dangerous blow with his stick that could have caused real injury. That’s a reckless moment on a Derek Sanderson level, and needs to be addressed by the league. In the olden days, commentators would say “he pole-axed him” but that phrase hasn’t been used in years because that kind of violence is gone from the game. Or so we thought.
Pietrangelo is going to get one game, and so is Nurse. I have no quarrel with it, but would suggest that the play by Pietrangelo is far more offensive and a real disciplinary group would give him the rest of the series off. I know some will believe Nurse gets away with no suspension and Pietrangelo gets a game, but that’s not going to happen.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored! He passed off earlier in the game but his goal was a very nice shot and signals his entry into the offensive side of the playoffs during five-on-five play. He rebounded quickly from what has been poor possession and delivered his best game of the postseason. I would suggest the coaching stuff run a different center on the No. 2 line if the plan is to return to 97-29 on a line five-on-five.
Zach Hyman didn’t score but contributed greatly to his line’s success. He took a (weak call!) penalty, had an early chance and then a net-front 10-bell look but could not cash. Evander Kane spent the evening as Captain Crunch, his collisions are like a hammer on a drum. Loud, violent, shocking, and the individual taking the hit is left mumbling and can’t remember the last thing that ran through their head. He needs a goal-scoring streak at some point this spring.
Nick Bjugstad scored a huge goal, I thought instantly of David Desharnais and his (more) dramatic goal in 2017. I always like to evaluate trades, and wonder if a big goal like Bjugstad scores contributes to the worth of a deal. It’s kind of ridiculous, a possible decade from a draft pick versus one measly goal, but that’s kind of the reason Ken Holland made the deal, right? Kailer Yamamoto had an assist, a shot on goal and a mild 10-minute misconduct. He’s playing well right now, a key item for a team that likes to use him at a specific spot (sixth) in the skill forward batting order. Crosscheck on Mark Stone was illegal and effective. Mattias Janmark did his quiet effective work, suppressing chances and killing penalties. Looked like he was going to score off a Ryan McLeod pass but the timing was a little off.
Ryan McLeod played well, had a great chance late. His early penalty was an error of effort, I’m glad Edmonton killed it off. A goal there might have hijacked the script. Warren Foegele had three shots and three HDSC, he’s the first wildebeest to play in the NHL I swear. I love his game. Klim Kostin had an assist (not listed above, it was late), hammered everyone in sight like the Warren Zevon song told him to, drew a hilarious penalty after he could have been charged with at least one himself, and generally made a nuisance of himself in a way that helped the Oilers. If Foegele is a wildebeest, Kostin is a nile crocodile. Derek Ryan is to hockey what Brian Eno is to music. You can’t identify completely what he does, only that it’s better when he’s in the song. These bottom-six kids are getting an education about how to do things properly and thoroughly. Maybe he should be called ‘hospital corners’ because he does things right.
GAME FIVE
The Oilers will have to run Ekholm-Bouchard, Kulak-Ceci and then Broberg-Desharnais on Friday night. Kulak-Ceci spent 120 minutes together five-on-five during the regular season, going 5-4 goals with an expected goal percentage of 54. Broberg-Desharnais spent 39 minutes together, 2-1 goals and 59 percent expected goals.
Why should they run them this way? I think we can agree that the coaching staff is going to play the hell out of the top two pairings. Suspect the third pair comes in well under 10 minutes. I believe that’s the play. You?
LOWETIDE AND JAMIESON
It’s going to be a great show today, as we dissect one of the most memorable Oilers games in recent history. We’ll have in depth analysis of the Pietrangelo-Nurse incidents and what may come, plus a discussion of Adin Hill’s game and what the Golden Knights may do in goal. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
Was kinda like 29 hacking Doughty in some ways, control what you can control, be smarter – win the little games within the game. Nurse doing that AFTER the slash had taken place was dumb IMO. If Nurse doesn’t do that , Pietrangelo probably gets at least 2 games – the league didn’t have to do any “thinking” here, was easy for them. My $0.02.
I’m not sure how you figure player safety would have given Pietrangelo a longer suspension had the Nurse penalty never happened..
The bottom line is the league deemed the Nurse instigator and the Pietrangelo slash equally serious offenses.
That’s disappointing, and IMO flat out wrong.
Agree on most of this but I think that if Nurse isn’t an easy suspension it makes it more likely Petro gets NO games vs 2. Nurse being gone for 1 gift wrapped the one gamer for Petro.
Do Oilers owe Nurse big time for his heroic defence of the team?
If you believe this: Press Thumbs Up.
Did Nurse make a mistake, getting into hot water like he did;
If you believe this: Press Thumbs Down.
Taking off my homer goggles … this is a tough one. Nurse needs to take a number; he’s been in the league long enough to know that the league does not cut the Oilers any slack the way they do for teams in obscure American markets. I think the boys will be playing for Woody next game who took one for the team and got fined for nothing else than speaking the truth.
There’s a reasonable case to be made that Hague was in fact the instigator.
You can’t predict the bizarre rulings of the NHL. So I do not fault players for poor decisions by the NHL or refs. That being said, I am not sure we needed a fight between those two players at that time
Pietrangelo should consider himself lucky he’s sitting next game out for his own safety. If for whatever reason, the Oilers find themselves down and out at the end of the series, there will be retribution, and now there’s precedent for a slap on the wrist punishment (pun intended)
Oilers surely have better things on their minds than retribution to players not even in tomorrow’s lineup.
On the bright side, Petro took that penalty because the Oilers own him. The team has totally infected his brain and destabilized his game. Nurse was just doing what Nurse does. Another day at the office. If the Oilers keep up the pressure and execute their forecheck, I’m sure we will see more Knights implode. Petro is the team captain. This isn’t what I would call inspirational leadership..
Speaking of inspirational leadership – McDavid immediately stepping up on Pietroangelo was the stuff of legends. Love his battle.
The heat got so hot even Craig Button changed his mind! Or someone at TSN told him to simmer down on his Oilers hatred, who knows. Funny watching him try to walk back his comments with Dutchy tonight at least.
Really does anyone expect anything different? The NHL is a joke league only slightly more credible than WWF. Wrestling is actually informative to a lot of the way the world now works. TPTB know that people will continue to be engaged and play along even though they know the entire thing is scripted and fake. It’s all “narrative”…..wars, elections, sport…….everything is scripted to engage a willingly gullible public who plays their role screaming for their team from the sidelines. You could see this outcome coming from across the galaxy.
Warning!
Coaching point
Larsson dangles for a chance. He has always had offense, it is clear he was told to not do it at least much in Edmonton
The Squids can’t answer a big fast team into playing
I wish we had Hintz. Gotta love patience and bar down
The NHL effectively said that it will not protect its stars and it will not allow you to protect them either.
Open season.
Same as it ever was.
Did not expect to hear Bush Jr quoted on an HNiC panel but here we are.
The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election; the people who count the votes do.
Categorical cynicism isn’t a happy place to be.
Pietrangelo is a Douchebag he should not be allowed near any future Team Canada events. If I was him I would be looking over my shoulder for that crazy Russian and that top 6 forward that learned to fight on the streets.
parros took too many to the head to think properly. petro 1 game on intent to injury. Nurse 1 game for questionable instigating a fight. Woody does nothing and gets fined $10,000
A win for Dallas is a win for Edmonton.
Huh? Why?
Kostin
I think they need to play him more. I know everyone is afraid of him taking penalties (2.11/60 in the playoffs), but he also draws the most penalties per/60 of any Oiler (2.11/60). Even up.
With Edmonton’s PP, I’d rather have 10 penalties drawn and taken in a game than 0 penalties drawn and taken.
He’s also 3rd in Pts/60 All strengths at 3.51 PTs/60, and 1st in Pts/60 at 5-on-5 at 3.61 pts/60. And 2nd all strengths in Goals/60 with 2.11! And he leads the team in Hits/60 with 24.55! He’s at 6.5 iHDCF/60. He makes things happen out there. He stirs the drink.
I know he’s playing against lesser competition and that explains some of his stats, but when a player is absolutely dominating the ice time he’s given you should increase that ice time as time goes.
And this isn’t a small playoff sample size thing either. During the regular season, he was 4th on the Oilers in Even Strength Points/60. He took 2.32 Penalties/60 but drew 2.53, or 24 drawn to 22 taken. With Edmonton’s Net PP and Net PK rates in the regular season, Kostin’s 24 drawn and 22 taken would amount to 7.152 Net PP goals for, and 3.63 Net PK goals against (allowing for shorthanded goals). Edmonton wins a special teams battle so drawings and taking penalties is a good thing as long as it doesn’t get too lopsided and especially when you draw a lot. Someone who drew 2 penalties and didn’t take a single penalty all season actually did less good. Kane comes out on top in this stat too even though he took more penalties than he drew. His 21 taken adds up to 3.465 Net shorties against and his 18 drew adds up to 5.364 Net PP goals for. It’s an interesting way too look at things. I think where it fails is when the penalty taken comes in a bad situation. I think Kane fails in this area sometimes, but Kostin less so. He seems pretty smart about when to engage and when to hold back.
He does make the odd bad decision with the puck, but I haven’t seen an egregious one in a long time. Most of the time, by eye, I think to myself, “That was a really smart play” when I see him turn away from danger and make a safe pass, or come back to cover the right man. I’m always excited to see him out on a shift.
I think they may have struck gold in that trade and we still don’t know how good he can be. Right now, I’m thinking he should get a shot at the top 6, if not in the playoffs, then right out of camp next fall.
Anyhow, I’m a fan.
I love Kostin but he makes some weak plays defending on the half-board and in the neutral zone. I’d ok with some more minutes but not a feature role unless he’s sheltered enough by Leon. Not sure he should go with McD unless Nuge is the responsible adult on the line.
Lots of angst here and in the media about DOPS BS which was totally expected but not at all equitable with respect to the actual infractions that occurred on this ice. I think this works to The Oilers advantage in terms of motivation for the next game. Woody taking the fine will hopefully add to the Oilers motivation and focus to do right by their coach who took one for the team.
That being said I also think that Nurse got suspended cause of the way he was hamming it up after the fight was over than for anything that transpired prior to the fight.
Pietroangelo is a much bigger loss for Vegas than Nurse is for Edmonton. I think it will force the Oilers to play a more disciplined team game.
Theodore’s going to have to play big minutes … and is going to be the Oilers main target for a physical beating in Game 5. He’s going to get the bulk of the minutes against McDavid and Draisaitl and has already shown signs of cracking under the pressure.
Not at all equitable is your opinion
Most don’t agree. Even former players
Nurse did not do anything outside of rules. Everything was in play. Skating to protect a non fighting player being gooned by a guy asking to fight all game – which the officials heard definitively there’s four of them – is not instigating
A hard 2 hand slash on a player without the puck shooting at an empty net in an game you can’t win is an intent to injure
That it wasn’t suspended reg season is not following their own protocol
To clarify – I thought Pietroangelo’s slash was far more heinous (not at all equitable) than the BS instigator suspension. Pietro should have been tossed for the next three games to send a message that any infraction committed with obvious intent to injure will not be tolerated. Of course, the DOPS run by George Parros is a total joke, so I completely expected it to be matching 1 game suspensions, and had made my peace with it last night.
Yes. Bunting got 3 for an elbow. They set their own standard. It’s arbitrary which always leads to chaos
Not much point dwelling on it then … look ahead to the next game.
Broberg gets his big chance to show his stuff. No more being sheltered as the 7D … he’ll have to take a regular shift. I’m looking forward to really seeing what he can do.
Jesse not dressed again tonight is he “healthy” scratch?
let it go
Well, all I can say is I hope the Oiler players and coaches aren’t as focused on the suspensions as we all are.
There’s a game tomorrow, and with the left side cover the Oilers have Vegas should miss Pietrangelo at least as much as the Oilers miss Nurse. Pietrangelo is their PP1 guy too.
Oilers need to bring it tomorrow, and get that 2nd win in a row.
Reason #25 why I refuse to give the NHL a penny of my money.
This league is a joke and if it wasn’t for the Oilers I would not even spend 3 hours a day streaming their games non-legally.
That’s all she wrote for the Devils.
Edit: The Storm Surge is cringe af.
I actually think this helps us. Vegas will miss Pieterangalo more than we miss Nurse.
Also every player on both teams know this was a bullshit decision. Vegas will feel fortunate and Woodcroft will play us against the league theme and it will fire us up in a big way. I’m now predicting a decisive victory tomorrow and Sunday.
I’m not sure. They are more experienced down the lineup
So was the slash 1/3 as bad as the Bunting hit?
The NHL and their American business partners want 2 American teams in the Cup Final. The Oilers are a threat to their windfall (and greed). The NHL doesn’t make decisions based on what’s right or fair, they make decisions based on making money.
Sadly, this outcome (of each getting 1 game suspensions) was predictable from a mile out. All the verbal by the media is just a distraction, as they would never speak the truth because it would cost them their jobs.
Follow the money is the answer to most things
I deal with a lot of US Corps and they will cut their noses off to spite their faces
PATHETIC
The most F’d up thing about this situation is that there were 2 instances in the regular season when someone was given an instigator penalty in the last 5 minutes of a game. Both were rescinded. And this is the playoffs so there is no way there should have been a suspension. Think about that. The league actually went against their own precedent and went out of their way to suspend Nurse just to fuck the oilers over.
The only good thing that may come of the absolute joke of a one game suspension to Pietrangelo is that he will be back in game six, and the POS will be on the ice when we take the series. Hopefully everyone refuses to shake his hand in the line.
If they win smile at him and say good series, it’s worse for him
Eakins was awful. Nurse can’t get clemency because “playoffs” but AP can, because…
Yeah but did you see how FAR Nurse skated? He skated from the BLUE LINE! Or so they say, as if that makes a difference.
None at all. Isn’t it what he did that matters? Darnell really likes to skate
Nurse essentially got suspended for leaving blue line and taking part in a fight that BOTH PLAYERS ENDED WITH SMILES AND LAUGHTER.
That is the same as a two-handed puck slash to the arms of an unsuspecting player with the puck nowhere near him.
What the actual f*ck. I am somehow both surprised and not surprised.
Let me express my shock.
I’m shocked.
lol’d!
I’ve given up on expecting anything resembling justice from the NHL. Let’s just go back to the biblical concept of “eye for an eye.”
Put AP in a room, give Drai a hockey stick and let him give one good two handed whack to even things up. If AP is out for the rest of the season, well – he was willing to risk that with Drai
So Leon could of easily of ham and egged where by he gets carted off the ice and the Oilers and Leon are waiting on X-rays to see if his wrist area is broken. If this happens Alex recieves 3 games. Leon is a true gamer and is right at the top of the list of my all-time favourite players. He is going to be a force in game 6 especially with their leader on D in the press box.
This is why Woody said true toughness. Not diving and head snapping. No knee on knee hits
Just good old cross checking and such
So to wrap this up. Pieterangalo gets 1 game for trying to injure Draisaitl. Nurse gets 1 game for wanting to fight a player who wants to fight. Woodcroft gets fined $10,000.00.
The Oilers come out of this $10,000.00 less.
Sometimes I think this league is broken.
Sometimes??
I look forward to refs busting out the measuring tape to see who skated the longer distance to determine who should receive an instigator penalty between 2 willing combatants.
i look forward to seeing how much fun Pietrangelo has in game 6 when he takes even more hits and extra shots than he did in game 4.
I do not look forward to the refs dishing out penalty after penalty to the Oilers
Put the game out of reach and then take justice into their own hands in the third period…
Honestly, nothing will ever change with how poor the NHL is with rule regulation; however – at what point to betting/gambling corporations get pissed?
When they stop getting premium airtime during every commercial break and intermission.
Oh boy, this may take a while haha
As soon as money is in question the ‘mob’ will do what they are told. Guaranteed
Most of the owners couldn’t care less about hockey
I’m a huge fan of sports radio — I think it’s a foundational part of the community of sports fans. I was living in BC when they lost their TSN station, and I’m no fan of the Canucks or Lions but it was still a huge loss.
We’re fortunate to have TSN 1260. Lowetide and Jamieson are of course great with Neilson a unique talent — able to combine knowledgeable commentary with humor like no one else. But I cannot stand Gregor’s show — Strudwick is just that bad. His take on the slash was utterly cringeworthy. He didn’t see a huge problem with it and no amount of reason or evidence from either Gregor or Rishaug — neither of them rabid Oiler supporters — could have him reconsider his opinion. Painful to listen to, and more than a little sad.
And all too typical of the quality of commentary inflicted upon us.
It’s quite interesting to see how often Kanes hit is brought up as a defense for Pietro. Even DeBrusk referenced it in a way during the broadcast. Or that the Oilers were playing tough so they had it coming. I honestly can’t see how somebody would make the conclusion. The sport loves viewing infractions in an holistic scope. It results in some of the most bizarre outcomes.
Singh and Louie have the pleasure of calling the Oilers games comparable to covering Mario and Jagr. Both Mario and Jagr garnered respect by the broadcast crew the Refs and the so called experts chiming in. Singh and Louie embarrassingly go out of their way to be nuetral and are missing out on history.
It really is far too much neutrality, and even feels like a bit of a slant to the opposition some times.
Louie gives the impression he didn’t really enjoy being an Oiler. And while Singh apparently grew up in Edmonton, no one can convince me he is, or ever was, an Oilers fan.
Playoff Louie and regular season Louie are two different beasts.
It’s not a matter of requiring an Oiler-focused team, but it’s a Canadian broadcast and yet by the coverage one would think there are as many Knight fans as Oiler fans watching these games.
This comes up in every ‘expert’ assessment in everything. No context. Yes Kane did a throat cross check. Why?
It wasn’t because he was out of control like Dirt bag guy
Who was filthy and started getting targeted. Chicken sh-*t fight someone other than Connor if you’re all macho and stuff
Gregor’s never known anything about hockey and plays a very Spector-style role on his show. Good reason to not listen.
Strudwick’s take is insight into the mind of a former player who is not qualified to be the head of player safety. Kinda like Parros.
It’s funny being a hockey fan sometimes. You go and show that clip to any non-hockey player they’d assume Pietro would be suspended for 40 games. It’s almost so egregious as to be criminal. He literally attacks Draisaitl. I don’t wish to take the hard-edged element out of hockey it’s what makes it unique. But we really do need to think about whether the system as it exists now is fit for purpose. It was luck that Draisaitl was unhurt.
I know there’s a few lawyers here so as a thought experiment let me pose this hypothetical: if Draisaitl’s wrist is fractured, would the circumstances give rise for a claim under tort? To what extent is Pietrangelo’s act tortious that it offsets the principle of Volenti
He was unhurt.
So your question is hypothetical.
“I know there’s a few lawyers here so as a thought experiment let me pose this hypothetical:”
I literally said it’s a hypothetical?
And besides, your general point doesn’t make a lot of sense. You’re implying that liability flows only from the injury it results in. In a hockey context, that’s saying that there are no acts that are inherently illegal, they’re illegal if and only if they result in damage. So infraction <=> damage. Which would mean Pietro slash is not an infraction, but shooting a puck that breaks someone’s ankle is an infraction.
“as a thought experimental let me pose this hypothetical:” I think he understood his question was, as he stated, hypothetical. Confusion over the lack of ? or the definition of hypothetical?
The usual. He’s already generated three direct responses with that fishing line. The Troll is fed.
Hypothetically , it must have been Peitragelo’s intent to not injure Draisaitl and he didn’t. Leo didn’t even want any retaliation. He wasn’t even angry.
Is there some crazed minor league enforcer they can sign and call up?
Or at least pull out some of the old-school weaponized elbow pads that were out for a while.
Quite possible Vegas activates RHD Kaeden Korczak
He’s 6’2” 200 with 60 PIM in the AHL.
22 years of age with 11 NHL games on his resume.
The next Brandt Clarke.
This wasn’t even the first time Pietrangelo has used his stick as an axe in this series, so those saying this is because of the Kane incident are talking out of their asses. His careless with his stick started a massive scrum in Game 2 during the Kulak-Howden fight, when he almost got Bjustad in the head with a very similar slash to what he did on Drai.
The Golden Showers are just a trash hockey team and cannot handle losing. When the Oilers are losing, they don’t resort to this kind of bullsh*t. They’ve been doing dirty shit all series, so I will not shed a tear when Kane retaliates with his crosscheck in Game 3.
Also, Kane barely touched him on the boarding play. Pietrangelo put himself in a vulnerable position – a veteran should know better. Looked as if he dove headfirst into the boards. If Kane wanted to hit him into the boards Pietrangelo would have left the game on a stretcher with the way he landed. He turns at the last moment, and Kane makes minimal contact. It was a hockey play gone wrong if anything. Not at all equivalent to a two-handed slash to an unsuspecting player’s arms.
Props
It’s open season with over 2 rounds left. Cassidy will start his goon line Oilers can not and will not take the bait.
Further – the Oilers should now start every series with one of the black aces assigned to go out and attempt break the arm of the opposing team’s best player with a slash.
That’s what this rewards. So do it.
No.
Just because the NHL dropped the ball – and consistently does on calls that should be suspended, this idea belongs in the stupid tank.
Alex Pietrangelo is a “captain” and did something I’m sure he regrets – and will regret – and the NHL blew it and did not act accordingly, star player or not.
This does not mean to just go injure other players at will.
I don’t make the rules.
The NHL does.
You’re missing the point
But you know it wouldn’t work that way.
If an Oiler does something similar in the next couple against Vegas they’ll get 10 or 20 games because of everything that’s happened.
Zero chance in hell that any precedent has been set by the Pietrangelo slash and 1 game suspension.
Thus the AHL player
This is a very dangerous precedent to set. Two handed overhead chops are now a 1-game suspension. Seems like a pretty cheap way to get rid of your opponents best player.
Nurse got suspended a game last year for a head butt . Which is worse ?
I’d have to rewatch Nurses hb, but it would have to be quite significant to approach the same stratosphere as a two handed overhead axe chop with a weapon.
The NHL is rapidly becoming a TV show like the NFL instead of a sport. And without the Billions of dollars to show for it.
Morons.
At least Kouleas and Rupp had the stones today to say it was BS if Nurse and Petro got the same suspension. Apparently if you work at Sportsnet you need to toe the line. Same as last year in the playoffs, zero respect for the take of these guys.
Props to Hrudey actually as he says it should have been 3. And Bieksa as well – although he didn’t give a number, seemed to question 1 game as being fair. Different takes than last night by Friedman and Eakins.
Don’t watch or give them anything there are options
Good thing Broberg has been playing games, big opportunity for him to eat some minutes on the left side in game 5. Who is the next man up for 7th D?
Finding Neimo….
And to think that Woodcroft was the coach that got fined for putting a loose cannon on the ice.
Yeah that’s a joke too.
If DoPS suspends Nurse but doesn’t suspend Pietrangelo it will find itself in the very confusing situation. It recognises that retaliations occur, which implies that it recognises that an incident occurred that caused the retaliation. But if they don’t suspend Pietrangelo then they’re implying that no such incident occurred, in which case Nurses fight can’t have been a retaliation.
it’s rather ironic that the department of player safety might be more interested in preventing retaliations, a player’s response to an incident they found unsafe, than in preventing the unsafe incident. A more appropriate name might be the Department of Player Policing.
Well it looks like offsetting penalties. You have to give this to the NHL. They’re at least consistent in their irrationality.
Oilers need to use this ridiculous ruling and come out and beat Vegas.
Lowetide exemplifying perfect understanding of this league once again predicting it’d be one game a piece.
What a joke of a league. These 2 things are equal.
NHL PS deciding to extend the rule of offsetting penalties to offsetting suspensions
NHL PS stands for NHL Piece of Sh*t
Way to protect the superstars in the league NHL. Pathetic
Wow I thought it would be 2 games. Oilers can rally around this bush league call and grunt out a win tomorrow.
That’s what happens when you have thugs running player safety. They have a bias against star players. Never change NHL, fucking losers.
That decision is absolutely appalling. The NHL remains a garage league.
Apart from Bettman’s permanent job, is this the most ‘lifetime’ job in the world. Do these guys ever get replaced? Apparently, the thug is not answerable to anybody – he can just adjugate as he pleases and laugh away at the angst of the teammates and fans. Does Holland go and ask for an explanation? Or does Oilers show the other cheek?
Bottom line, the Oilers need to take this injustice as a motivation to go and win the next 2 games.
I doubt Holland or Katz picks up the phone.
1 game for Nurse. 1 for Pietrangelo.
Man, that is disappointing.
Not entirely unexpected, but that is some non-justice right there. Oh well.
I am disappointed and relieved at the same time because part of me believed there was a good chance AP would receive a fine and no suspension. Having low expectations of the NHL is the way to go.
Pietrangelo gets 1game. He viking chops a player with a weapon and gets one game. Nurse eats 8 punches and becomes the first instigator suspension of the season.
What. The. F@#K.
It was an automatic 1 game suspension. Nurse should know better and so should Peiteranglo.
No it wasn’t. There was two instigator penalties handed out in the last 5 mins if a game twice this year and both times the suspension was rescinded. This was an intentional act of going against their own precedent just to screw over the oilers. The NHL is truly no better than a Friday night men’s league.
I think he is referring to the fact that there were similar ‘automatic 1 game suspensions’ during the regular season and Player Safety Rescinded them the next day and nobody received one all season.
One game for Alex P. I guess if you only want to take a player out of the series do what Alex did and get 1 game. Open season on the stars of the game
Kostin chops marsechaeult’s arm off. Fair and square. The league has condoned intent to injure, so every team must take advantage or lose out, right?
Yep.
Find the heaviest stick you can swing – put one of the extras into the lineup and get to it.