Voracek was doing his best Alex Ovechkin impression haha

Posted by emailmike1994 on 04/18/09 at 07:47 PM ET

heh, nice headline.

Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 04/18/09 at 08:04 PM ET

Just to make things a little bit more fair, I think every BJ, except Nash and Mason, should be allowed to carry two sticks in Game 3. At least that way they’ll have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning one game in this series.

In all seriousness, what two playoff games have you ever seen where a team lost by a combined total of 8-1 and their goalie was their best player in both games.

Welcome to playoff hockey, Columbus. This experience will serve you well in the future...which is not a good thing for the Wings.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 04/18/09 at 08:08 PM ET

We need all the help we can get. 

But the NHL officiating has been questionable already this year.  Last night, Scott Hartnell threw his stick at a shooter and it wasn’t called and it looks like Voracek had two sticks for at least 20 seconds.  And then there is the head shot from Cammalleri on Havlat that was blessed by the NHL higher ups because Cammalleri was not a repeat offender.

Posted by Truth Serum on 04/18/09 at 09:02 PM ET

This experience will serve you well in the future

Sure sure, but until then....Assume the Position. Yeah, you the one Daddy likes. 

And that Ish should be a penalty, I think.

Posted by Osrt on 04/18/09 at 09:04 PM ET

But the NHL officiating has been questionable already this year.

What year?  There hasn’t been a year that fans haven’t complained about officiating.

Posted by Heaton on 04/18/09 at 09:10 PM ET

Speaking of defense though, how stifling was that Detroit defense? As someone who wanted the Blue Jackets to win, I felt every hit and every blocked shot. At the end of it, I not only cursed the BJ’s for skating like idiots, I cursed the best defensive performance I have EVER seen in a playoffs game. Seriously.

Posted by Wild Wing from Orange County, CA on 04/18/09 at 09:54 PM ET

Here’s the rule:

#19.d
(NOTE 2) A player who participates in the play, who checks or who intentionally prevents the movement of an opponent, or who intentionally plays the puck while carrying two sticks (including while taking a replacement stick to his goalkeeper) shall incur a minor penalty under this Rule but the automatic fine of two hundred dollars ($200) shall not be imposed. If his participation causes a foul resulting in a penalty, the Referee shall report the incident to the Commissioner for disciplinary action.

Kinda vague. But Voracek never did touch the puck or any player. Guess they called it right.

Bit off topic, but that Hartnell stick throw I couldn’t find a video of. But if it’s the play I’m thinking of, it looked to me like he dove for the puck from behind on the back check and got his stick caught under the stick of the shooter as he took the slapshot, flinging it out of Hartnells hand.

I’m just kinda baffled with how different each series has been called. Some are all special teams, others are play through everything.

Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 04/18/09 at 10:03 PM ET

I don’t recall ever seeing a play like that.

But Voracek never did touch the puck or any player. Guess they called it right.

No, he didn’t touch the puck or any player, but he was “participating” in the play as Voracek was clearly defending an area of ice with two sticks. Surprised that he wasn’t called for that. I mean, its not like he tried to hide the fact that he was holding two sticks.

Posted by UMFan from Colorado on 04/18/09 at 10:55 PM ET

He was sure participating in the play, cutting off lanes, getting in the way off passes, changing the flow of play.  I don’t know what the philosophy and guidance to the refs is in that situation, but by the strict verbiage as read out of the rule book it could have been called.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 04/18/09 at 11:07 PM ET

A player who participates in the play, who checks or who intentionally prevents the movement of an opponent, or who intentionally plays the puck…

Okay, I’ve highlighted the problem in bold.  Can’t see it?  It’s the first comma of the rule.  The comma could either designate that “participates in the play” is the first item of a list, or that the items that follow it are clarifications on “participates in the play.”

For all that the rule lacks in style points (writing style, naturally), in either sense, the grammar is acceptable.

Posted by PRC. on 04/19/09 at 12:12 AM ET

lol..., feel srry for bjs, i know its really frustrating to be the dance partners with the wings

Posted by Flames Suck from Oil Country on 04/19/09 at 04:05 AM ET

The BJs were so awful in that game they couldn’t even stay onside on half their rushes up ice.

That’s what playing Detroit will do to you, though.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 04/19/09 at 07:46 AM ET

And then there is the head shot from Cammalleri on Havlat that was blessed by the NHL higher ups because Cammalleri was not a repeat offender.

And the fact that he’s not playing against the model franchise.

Posted by mrfluffy from Cincy on 04/19/09 at 08:36 AM ET

Voracek deserved a penalty, he was using both sticks to block passing lanes.  In the wake of a 4-0 decision in favor of the Wings, I can live with the non-call, but would like to hear from the league that it won’t be allowed to happen again like that.

Cammalleri wasn’t suspended because he wasn’t gooning it up at the end of a game to “send a message” like Carcillo was.  However, he deserved five minutes and a game misconduct.  If punching a guy in the face directly off the faceoff isn’t intent to injure, I don’t know what is.

The slow-mo of the Hartnell play shows that his stick left his hands before being touched by the other player’s stick.  It was a throw, but I didn’t know that for sure until the slow-mo.  The non-call was disappointing, but until they do something silly like video reviews of all plays (which I am against), things like that are going to happen.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 04/19/09 at 10:32 AM ET