I'm not going to get into whether he dove or not, but my biggest issue was the refs played it like they were going to let things slide in OT.
3 Minutes in the Ref missed Spear from Kunitz to Grabner's nuts.. and a minute later a very big slash right in front of them.
Was it a minor hold/interference on Strait? Yes
Did Crosby dive? Quite Possible
Should it have been called? Well if the refs let the Spear and Slash slide I thought the hold should have been allowed to slide too

Between the Isles vs Pens and the Habs vs Sens series', its pretty clear the league is playing favourites this season.

We all know the Isles and Sens won't draw the ratings the Habs and Pens will in the second round.

This playoff, from Shanny himself, all the way down to the officials on the ice has been nothing short of a catastrophe.

Pens and Hawks are the teams to beat..

San Jose could challenge in the west.

and i think if my Leafs can get by Boston you never know!

Eh? Do I get a prize Ek?

Between the Isles vs Pens and the Habs vs Sens series', its pretty clear the league is playing favourites this season.

We all know the Isles and Sens won't draw the ratings the Habs and Pens will in the second round.

This playoff, from Shanny himself, all the way down to the officials on the ice has been nothing short of a catastrophe.
- Charliebox

The suspension of Gryba and the decision not to review some of the actions of Canadien players from last night suggests to me that the NHL has become corrupt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKSpEfPOTo

For French Connection in case he is lurking


- homiedclown

Down Goes Brown ‏@DownGoesBrown 16h “Hey, if the Habs are all going to act like toddlers throwing a tantrum, I’m going to give them a timeout.” - Paul MacLean, in my dreams

[/quoteIn fact a combined look at the 1 vs. 8 and 2 vs. 7 matchups see a combined 5-3 in favor of the top seeds, firmly showing once again how on any given night anyone can win in the NHL.

Ummm...... that's actually a 6-6 record EK.

I want to say the St. Louis Blues, The Sens are 2nd. But the Blues get my vote because they are up in the series with the defending stanley cup champs. The Sens are playing the Smurfs that are more worried about what the Sens coach is saying instead of the game on the Ice.

I'm not going to get into whether he dove or not, but my biggest issue was the refs played it like they were going to let things slide in OT.
3 Minutes in the Ref missed Spear from Kunitz to Grabner's nuts.. and a minute later a very big slash right in front of them.
Was it a minor hold/interference on Strait? Yes
Did Crosby dive? Quite Possible
Should it have been called? Well if the refs let the Spear and Slash slide I thought the hold should have been allowed to slide too
- Danformo

That's my big issue with it, what they call Vs what they don't in OT. It was called cause its 87. It's not a penalty to call in OT IMO

I'm not going to get into whether he dove or not, but my biggest issue was the refs played it like they were going to let things slide in OT.
3 Minutes in the Ref missed Spear from Kunitz to Grabner's nuts.. and a minute later a very big slash right in front of them.
Was it a minor hold/interference on Strait? Yes
Did Crosby dive? Quite Possible
Should it have been called? Well if the refs let the Spear and Slash slide I thought the hold should have been allowed to slide too
- Danformo

I've never been a fan of the way the NHL throws out the rulebook in the playoffs. There ought to be a consistent standard throughout the year.

In the NFL, a penalty in game one of the regular season is judged by the same criteria as a penalty in the Super Bowl. That's the way to do it.

However, that being said, I also believe a game has to be called consistently within itself. If you're not going to call that Crosby penalty for the whole series or game, you can't suddenly decide to call it in OT.

I don't even know why they play the games. Crosby should just cut the BS and go to Bettman and ask for the Stanley Cup.

I've never been a fan of the way the NHL throws out the rulebook in the playoffs. There ought to be a consistent standard throughout the year.

In the NFL, a penalty in game one of the regular season is judged by the same criteria as a penalty in the Super Bowl. That's the way to do it.

However, that being said, I also believe a game has to be called consistently within itself. If you're not going to call that Crosby penalty for the whole series or game, you can't suddenly decide to call it in OT.

I don't even know why they play the games. Crosby should just cut the BS and go to Bettman and ask for the Stanley Cup.
- Leeman4Gilmour

This!

anyone catch bill mccreary 'supervising' the refs in ottawa last night? he looked like a dog watching traffic.

What really sucks ass is this has all turned into just about every blogger writing about suspensions and Shannaban. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE (frank)ING PLAYOFFS?!

Ummm...they are the 6seed vs the 3seed...I don't think anyone could have predicted them up 3-0 right now.
- BoBBeR56

With the way the Canucks went spinning into these playoffs (and they fact they're 1-9in their last 10 playoff games) I'd be shocked if they were winning. I picked Sharks in 5.

I don't know if St Louis is just that bad at scoring or if Quick has been lights out but man that team is not the same team the Kings played during the season. Leopold and Bouwmeester have been the key to shutting down the Kings top 2 lines and if it wasn't for strange goals I think we'd still be seeing both teams playing game 1 a week later.

I've never been a fan of the way the NHL throws out the rulebook in the playoffs. There ought to be a consistent standard throughout the year.

In the NFL, a penalty in game one of the regular season is judged by the same criteria as a penalty in the Super Bowl. That's the way to do it.

However, that being said, I also believe a game has to be called consistently within itself. If you're not going to call that Crosby penalty for the whole series or game, you can't suddenly decide to call it in OT.

I don't even know why they play the games. Crosby should just cut the BS and go to Bettman and ask for the Stanley Cup.
- Leeman4Gilmour

This is just pure stupidity.

- cap1681

Its not a conspiracy if we all saw it happen

Its not a conspiracy if we all saw it happen
- TrueBlue9182

I don't doubt that Crosby got the call because of who he is. If that's the same play at the other end of the ice with Tavares driving to the net, he draws a penalty. I'm talking about all the crying from people saying the NHL has a hand in outcomes of games. If you think that, just stop watching hockey.

I don't doubt that Crosby got the call because of who he is. If that's the same play at the other end of the ice with Tavares driving to the net, he draws a penalty. I'm talking about all the crying from people saying the NHL has a hand in outcomes of games. If you think that, just stop watching hockey.
- cap1681

There were plenty of calls that went unnoticed for us. If it was us it would not have been called. No conspiracy just facts

I don't doubt that Crosby got the call because of who he is. If that's the same play at the other end of the ice with Tavares driving to the net, he draws a penalty. I'm talking about all the crying from people saying the NHL has a hand in outcomes of games. If you think that, just stop watching hockey.
- cap1681

Shouldn't make that call in OT imo.

There were plenty of calls that went unnoticed for us. If it was us it would not have been called. No conspiracy just facts
- mighty13duck

There were plenty of blown calls on both sides. It's called hockey. Happens all the time. The difference in this series is that the Isles PP is going at 9%, the Pens is at 46.2%

Shouldn't make that call in OT imo.
- TrueBlue9182

Problem is, if Strait doesn't grab Crosby, Sid has a great scoring chance. I understand not calling penalties in overtime, but when it takes away a good scoring chance, it's usually called.

There were plenty of blown calls on both sides. It's called hockey. Happens all the time. The difference in this series is that the Isles PP is going at 9%, the Pens is at 46.2%
- cap1681

How many times can I hear this? Ok our pp hasn't been great but our 5 on 5 play is crushing you guys, and in my opinion 5 on 5 should be what dictates a team more than playing one or two men up...