Nobody went flying at Montreal’s Max Pacioretty following his hit on Johnny Boychuk that ultimately resulted in the B’s defensemen leaving the ice by way of a stretcher. That’s because Claude Julien and the rest of the Bruins felt that Pacioretty’s hit lacked any real malice or intent to injure one of their top defensemen.
But when Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik leveled the Bruins’ Loui Eriksson less than a minute into the game, the Black-and-Gold let their displeasure with the hard-hitting blue-liner be known. First, Dougie Hamilton gave him a slash or two and perhaps a challenge (I was never good at lip-reading). Then Shawn Thornton went at him (and was served a two-minute minor for roughing).
And then, with Brad Marchand down at the Boston blue-line and Thornton on the ice at the same time as Orpik, the veteran B’s enforcer went at him again. And got him. Badly.
Clocking Orpik with two cheapshots -- both with the Boston College alum down on the ice and his head inches above the ice -- it was clear that No. 44 was in a world of hurt. With the first sign of danger coming from Kris Letang urging the off-ice medical attendants for a stretcher, and then seeing Orpik’s stiff frame laid out on Garden ice, concern grew.
Orpik, a hard-nosed player, was mugged by the Boston brute.
It was cheap, it was wrong, and it was exactly what this game doesn’t need. Period. Throughout his entire tenure in Boston, Thornton’s been known as an honest customer.
Thornton’s job is to protect his teammates and ‘enforce’ the unwritten code of skating in the NHL. He’s rarely been one to throw a punch with an opponent down, and he’s even given guys pats on the back after a good bout. He knows his role, and he’s embraced (and perhaps perfect) it with the club.
But tonight, he broke that same code.
“I understand sometimes guys try to stick up for a teammate after a big hit. I think that’s something that has been in hockey for a long time. But it was obvious he [Orpik] didn’t want to,… Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said after the game. “He’s our top defenseman. He can’t be in the box for five minutes and fighting. From what I saw, I thought the hit was pretty clean. If they want to make it a point to go after him, and finish their hits and play tough on him because he did that, I think Orps is more than willing to take care of himself.
“But I don’t think there’s any room for [what Thornton did]. I think [Milan] Lucic ended up getting in a fight with Eggo [Derek Engelland] shortly before that, so I think they sent the message to their team that they were going to stick up for each other,… Crosby added, “But that kind of took it a little far.…
You can say what you will about the hit on Eriksson (a marginal penalty at best), but Thornton took it too far, and he knew that after the game in his brief meeting with the media in front of his stall.
“I feel awful. It wasn’t my intention,… Thornton said. “I know [Orpik]. I’ve gotten to know him over the last several years here. I skated with him in the summer and over the lockout. It’s hard for me to talk about it right now. I can’t say ‘I’m sorry’ enough. I felt sick the whole game.…
Thornton has never been suspended in his 11-year career, but confirmed after the game that he will be having an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Brendan Shanahan, which typically carries the minimum of a six-game suspension.
And rightfully so.
Not even the most diehard B’s fan can defend Thornton’s actions, and if they do, that’s scary and you should probably consider distancing yourself from that person because they’re likely a sociopath.
On the other side of the ice, James Neal, a repeat offender who accidentally-on-purpose hit Marchand in the back of the head with a knee will have a phone hearing with Shanahan, and provided no insight to his actions on the play, but plenty of teenager-like sass.
“I hit him in the head with my leg or my foot or my knee or shin area I don’t know,… Neal noted after the loss. “But I mean he’s already going down and I guess I need to try to avoid him, but I have to look at it again. I haven’t gotten a chance to look at it.…
Instead of using either incident as justification for what happened next, it’s probably best to sit there and say that yes, both plays were dumb, deliberate, and wrong. They undoubtedly warrant whatever suspension is heading their way, and perhaps even more.
Lost in all of this first period nonsense was, you guessed it, a hockey game! In the final meeting of the regular season between these two fierce rivals, the Bruins and Penguins exchanged everything and then some, with the night kicking off with Chris Kunitz’s 17th of the season.
The Bruins responded with Reilly Smith, who struck with his sixth of the season.
Three minutes later the Pens answered back, this time from Neal.
And with just 4:48 to go in the third, the Bruins, with just 18 shots on net, turned it on.
Beginning with Rask’s stop on a Crosby breakaway to keep the Black-and-Gold within one, the tone was set, and the Bruins, the comeback kings of the East, were still alive.
“He caught it from midair and then it never really settled. And then he snapped it, I got my glove on it, and he batted the rebound on the side of the net,… the 26-year-old Rask said of the Pens captain’s chance late in the game. “It was a save we needed. I was just happy to keep the game tight because you don’t want to lose a game like that because we had the momentum by then.…
Tying things up with the net empty by way of David Krejci’s goal, the Bruins then struck with just 13 seconds left on the clock, this time from Zdeno Chara.
Giving the Bruins yet another home win -- their 13th in just 18 games this year -- the win also gave the B’s the win in the season series head-to-head with the Pens for the first time since 2006-07.
Bruins lose three in physical battle
On top of Thornton’s ejection (and certain) suspension, the Bruins lost two players to injury in tonight’s bone-crushing affair with Pittsburgh with Loui Eriksson and Chris Kelly landing on the shelf.
Eriksson, who missed five games in Oct. and Nov. with a concussion, has suffered yet another concussion, and will not make the trip to Toronto for tomorrow night’s game. The Bruins won just two of their sans Eriksson games this year, and scored just 11 goals in total during that stretch.
The major concern with Eriksson is obvious here. It’s a concussion. And it’s also his second one in a month and a half. Oh, and it’s the fourth one of his career. Yikes.
The Bruins have been down this road before, and they’ve seen the horror stories of a Marc Savard (whose biggest contribution to the Bruins now has unfortunately become game-day tweets from his account) and even Nathan Horton.
It’s scary. No, it’s downright terrifying. A concussion isn’t like a knee sprain. It’s your brain.
“It’s frustrating. It has to be frustrating for him too,… Julien said of Eriksson’s injury. “We’re talking about health here too. Concussions are not just an injury; it’s a health issue and it’s unfortunate that that happened to him.…
Julien also noted after the game that Kelly, the club’s third line center and penalty-killing faceoff ace, will be out of action for tomorrow night’s contest after suffering a lower-body injury from a slash.
Boston has called up forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Fraser to skate in their place. Spooner has two points in two games with the big club this season, while Fraser has the second most goals in the American Hockey League this season with 16.
Up next
The Bruins head to Toronto for a Sunday night showdown with the Leafs. It's the second leg of a back-to-back for both teams, and the B's will enter town without Eriksson, Kelly, Thornton, Boychuk, and Adam McQuaid. Ouch.