ECQF Game 1 recap: Tampa Bay Lightning (5) at Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
by John Fontana on Apr 14, 2011 11:13 AM EDT
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The opening battle of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal match-up is now in the books, and it's not a story that most Tampa Bay Lightning ans want to read: The Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the Lightning, 3-0.
It's not that this game was without effort from the Lightning, nor that it was without controversy ans referees were selective in what they penalized and who they penalized and what they ignored (which is the greatest crime of a playoff matchup - call a game even or don't call it at all).
The Lightning were penalized twice as often as the Penguins. And while one of those call's were obviously the right one to make (hello, Ryan Malone), there were others that were just too questionable to be brushed aside.
Especially the non-calls on the Penguins. The most glaring of which was a high stick to the face of Martin St. Louis that resulted in Marty losing his two front teeth:
Erik Erlendsson reported via Twitter post-game that Marty had a double root-canal post-game and will play in game two on Friday.
Complaining about officiating does no justice to praise of Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury and his 32-save effort in the crease for the Penguins. Guy Boucher made sure to emphasize Fleury's effort in post-game comments:
"I just saw the clips on the replays, and I still can't believe he made some of those saves,'' Lightning coach Guy Boucher said of Fleury. "He's done that in the past and he's certainly going to be tough to beat.''
Complaining about the refs also doesn't properly summarize the truth that, after a rapid two-goals by the Penguins in the third period, separated by a mere 18 seconds, the wheels collectively had fallen off for the Lightning.
There are a collection of remarks by Lightning writers the web over about this game. We'll start with Jon Jordan over at Kukla's Korner:
From the Lightning’s perspective, they have to look at it as just one game. They can be disappointed (as well they should) and lament missed opportunities (of which, they had many) but game one is over and done with and they’ll do what they’ve done all year, win or lose, in wiping it clean off the slate and starting anew.
"It's just one game" is the repeated motif out there, and no other Tampa Bay sports writers would know this fact better than veteran columnist Gary Shelton of the St. Pete Times, who puts things into further perspective:
On the other hand, the first playoff series the Lightning ever won — against Washington back in 2003 — came after it lost the first two games of the series. And the most important series the Lightning has ever won — against Calgary in the 2004 Stanley Cup final — came after an opening-game loss.
It was a first effort in what will likely be a long series, and it was nothing to be embarrassed about. But it is a game that shouldn't sit well for the club and should be taken as a lesson moving forward. The lesson being you can't trust anyone but yourselves.
Game #2 is Friday at 7 PM EDT. We'll be live on the Raw Charge game thread at 6 PM.
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Refereeing didn't kill the Bolts
The Bolts killed the Bolts last night.
I hated to see Marty take that stick to the face, but it’s a “hockey play” and wasn’t high-sticking. From the NHL Rulebook: “60.1 High-sticking – A "high stick" is one which is carried above the height of the opponent’s shoulders. Players and goalkeepers must be in control and responsible for their stick. However, a player is permitted accidental contact on an opponent if the act is committed as a normal windup or follow through…”
Aside from that, three things stuck out for me:
1. The Bolts have got to stop playing to keep the Pens from scoring, and start playing to win. There’s a difference between respecting your opponent and fearing your opponent, and last night it looked to me like they were fearing the Pens.
2. The Bolts have got to stop taking bad penalties. There were a lot last night.
3. Kubina is solely responsible for the GWG. If he wouldn’t have been trying to trip Kovalev by putting his stick between Kovalev’s legs, he would have had his stick when Kovalev got the pass. Instead of being out of position and without a stick he would have been in position with his stick. The whole game turned on that goal.
Tomorrow’s another day. I was hopeful of a split in the first two games, and I still am. Roli’s playing incredibly (except on Asham’s goal, of course—but still made 37 saves on 39 SOG) and if the Bolts (yes, I’m talking to you, Malone, Kubina, and Moore) keep the penalty count down, the team can do some damage on the scoreboard.
Looking at the replay...
That wasn’t exactly a follow-though from a shot or pass. He just swung his arm around and let his stick fly up and hit Marty in the face, and I think that’s an example of a player not being responsible with/in control of their stick. Should have been called, imo.
The missed calls didn’t help our cause, but that wasn’t the reason we lost. Time to move on and try to win game 2.
by In All Kinds of Weather on Apr 14, 2011 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice write-up, but I feel like I must respond that it’s difficult to say that the referees favored the Pens last night. Obviously the league isn’t designed (nor should it be the case) that a discrepancy in penalties between two teams means a conspiracy. Some teams take more penalties than other teams.
While there were some missed calls that went against the Penguins, there were plenty that went against TB as well. There were two delay of games Rolo should have gotten called for, two trips on Staal that didn’t get called, and a trip on Kovalev before the first goal which didn’t get called (though this probably helped the Pens more than it hurt them). In sum, there were missed calls on both sides of the ice, and the Lightning were simply less disciplined than the Penguins last night. It could be the other way around for game 2, but last night’s loss falls squarely on the player’s shoulders. They got out-possessed by a team which is without 4 key starters.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
All you have to do is to look at the official NHL Game Summary for that game to see a glaring inconsistency.
During the regular season, we’re all used to the refs evening up the penalties by the end of the game. Whether that’s deserved or not, that’s simply how it ends up going. So it’s understandable to see how this can look a bit suspicious, particularly when it goes against your team.
But I agree that a team shouldn’t have to rely on officiating in order to win a game.
The ways of Jedi Master Yzerman are not the ways of others.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Apr 14, 2011 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t understand your point – nowhere in the rules is it mandated that teams have to have an even number of penalties, and I won’t belittle you or anyone else by pulling out summaries from thousands of games in which penalties were uneven. Tampa last night was called for penalties that they deserved, and there were at five instances by my count in which the referees should have called more penalties on the lightning but chose not to.
In addition, I know a hot topic is pointing to St. Louis’s injury and the following non-call as proof the refs were favoring the pens. Even granting a call should have been made, how does that make up for the five non-calls that went in favor of the Lightning? Moving past that, here is the text of the rule for high sticking:
Rule 60.1 – High Sticking: A “high stick” is one which is carried above the height of the opponent’s shoulders.
The point of contact was not above shoulder height, so by the rules, a no call was the right call.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
So as long as a guy is below shoulder-height, I can hit him in the face?
Good to know. Thanks for contributing. Call it a slash if you want, but a call should have been made. I don’t see any time when I guy can get mashed in the face with a stick, draw blood, and have no call made. Unless it is on a follow through, which it surely was not.
For what it's worth
not all Pens fans agree with the non call.. I for one think it should have been a penalty.
There's an 87% chance this post is sarcasm...
Whether or not that should have been a call, it doesn’t mean the refs unfairly helped the Penguins last night.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
I think everyone agrees that the Lightning certainly didn’t help themselves with how they played in Game 1. And there are always missed calls during games – I’ve never seen one where there wasn’t at least one missed call for both teams on the ice. But did the Penguins actually play well enough last night so that the Lightning only deserved one power play on the night? That’s the question.
The ways of Jedi Master Yzerman are not the ways of others.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Apr 14, 2011 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
The Penguins took three minor penalties. That the chronology of the calls ended up giving the Lightning only one PP is less important than if the Penguins literally were only called for one penalty the whole game.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
I’m sorry if you thought that I was trying to belittle you. I assure you, I wasn’t. I was simply trying to illustrate my point. Anyways, I wasn’t saying that it is in the rules that the calls had to be evened up so that each team has about the same number of power plays at the end of the game. But they often are, regardless.
The ways of Jedi Master Yzerman are not the ways of others.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on Apr 14, 2011 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
As has happened a lot over the course of the year
The energy from the first period was maintained throughout the game. We need to break through when we still have it and/or (preferably and) maintain it for 60 minutes.
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 14, 2011 12:58 PM EDT reply actions
yes. yes I do
glad somebody is checking my typing. lol
by Incipient_Senescence on Apr 14, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Tight game till the 3rd...
I wasn’t really breathing easy (from a Pens perspective) until Kunitz made the ENG. Just seems like the Lightning have so many scoring threats…that move that Vinny almost pulled on Fleury last night was dirty, rotten, filthy. It’s going to be an amazing series…Rolo is in great shape for his age.
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