15:00 PDT - Tomas Fleischmann will replace Emerson Etem on the 4th line.
Very rarely does one get to write a piece that will probably tick off both sides of an argument. I am about to do just that.
I was reading an Article in today's OCR about a disparity in penalty calls between the Ducks and Chicago in the Western Conference Finals series. As of now, Chicago has had 17 power plays as compared to Anaheim's eight. On the message boards it has been a hot topic of “debate.… My response to both sides is that, you are both right. The reasons why might be a bit surprising.
Why the Diffence is Possibly Correct
Lets start with the Ducks. How can I think the disparity in man advantage opportunities is not part of a conspiracy? The answer is that the Ducks are clearly the more physical team on the ice. I'm fine with that. Its their style and I like the fact they want to make Chicago earn every inch of ice. By human nature, the more aggressive team is going to get more penalties called against them. Human nature does not completely explain a more than two to one difference in man up opportunities.
Reputation does add to the difference. Earlier this season I wrote about the Ducks losing the benefit of the doubt from the referees when it came to borderline calls. Anaheim just isn't getting any wiggle room for the zebras. I have refereed football in the past and for as hard as anyone tries to be fair the games are still called by people. Once a team gets a bad rap, everyone, including the refs know. Still, two to one?
Why the Difference is a Problem
When the playoffs start, they intensity level picks up. As one round advances to the next the intensity escalates. As much as some want to paint the Ducks as dirty, they are not. They do play a physical game and its natural for those supporting the finesse team getting banged around the ice to be upset. One would think unless the Broadstreet Bullies were facing the Jean Beliveau led Canadiens, that two of every three power play opportunities would go toward one team might be a statistical anomaly.
To be honest, the Blackhawks haven't exactly played like Pollyanna in the series either. To start, Corey Crawford is not Ron Hextall or Billy Smith. Those guys got their shots in, but they were much better at “hiding… it than Crawford is. Further, as mentioned above, the referees are paying plenty of attention to the Ducks. Probably too much attention, because they are missing some of the Blackhawk infractions. Finally, there have been entirely too many late retaliatory hits, post-whistle, from the Chicago side that should have been called.
No one expects today's officials to consciously even things up. What has me concerned is that; as the calls get closer to their logical and historical ratios, there will be even more complaining that the Ducks are getting away with too much, not that Chicago's own penalties are catching up with them. However, I expect the referees to continue to be stern with Anaheim. They haven't been and will not get much leeway from the officials.
WCF Game 5 – Chicago @ Ducks
The Ducks wrestled home ice advantage back from the Blackhawks. It is now a best two-of-three and two of the games are at the Honda Center. Bruce Boudreau has hinted that he may make some changes to the lineup today. He specifically mentioned forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Chris Wagner as possibilities, but he didn't go as far to say that those two would play. No changes are expected on defense. That means James Wisniewski will be a spectator again. For now I will post what I believe the likely lineup will be and will update it if possible.
Forwards Maroon-Getzlaf-Perry Beleskey-Kesler-Silfverberg Cogliano-Thompson-Palmieri Fleischmann-Rakell-Sekac
Defensemen Lindholm-Beauchemin Fowler-Despres Stoner-Vatanen
Goalies Frederik Andersen John Gibson
- Ed