You could easily argue that the NHL didn't need to help the Colorado Avalanche on the actually controversial non offsides goal. Yet they did.
The rule is sufficiently obscure that both broadcast teams (Sportsnet and TNT) assumed the play was offsides. The rule exists, no matter how it goes against the grain of offsides. We get suspicious when an obscure rule is suddenly pulled forward deep in the playoffs.
The rule exists. People posted examples of the rules in regular season games. The difference is the situation room ruled (somehow) that Cale Makar didn't have control of the puck until his teammate tagged up. We vehemently disagree.
Someday, while still alive, we would love to see a Canadian-based NHL team get that kind of a call in a key playoff moment. You are more likely to see Pierre Poilievre embrace more CBC funding.
When a Canadian team plays a Canadian team in the playoffs, the argument is root for the team that will do the best in the next round. Would Calgary have done better against Colorado? Edmonton had some significant injuries, only made worse in the Colorado series. Calgary had scoring power, better defence, and better goaltending.
Colorado was the team to beat, even though the Avalanche got a lot of help.
Power plays don't have to be even or even close. The Edmonton Oilers had 6 power plays in 3 games, going 1-for-6 with the man advantage. Colorado had 5 power plays just in Game 3. This feels very lopsided.
The Oilers actually had 5 power plays in Game 4. Still lopsided for the series.
Connor McDavid got taken down in one of the many penalties not called in the series. The TNT crew looked at the situation like "at least McDavid didn't motion for a penalty to be called." When Edmonton got away with a penalty, the TNT crew called it out like that penalty should have been called. A national telecast isn't supposed to be that biased.
Oilers lose heartbreaker in OT.
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 7, 2022
Draisaitl a legendary playoff performance on one leg...4 assists...7-25-32 in 16GP
McDavid 1-2-3 , 10-23-33 in 16 GP.
Hyman 2 goals, scored 38 goals in regular season and the playoffs.
Ultimately the best team in the NHL won the series!
Edmonton was 6-0 when scoring the first goal in a game in the first 2 rounds. The Oilers took the early lead in Game 1 and Game 3 but did not win either game.
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The NHL has this element where violence is a part of the Stanley Cup playoffs but only selective violence.
This isn't to compare the Evander Kane hit on Nazem Kadri (Game 3) vs. the Nathan MacKinnon slew foot on Leon Draisaitl (Game 3) vs. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog's high hit on Kailer Yamamoto (Game 2). There are enough injuries in hockey when you aren't trying to hurt someone to gain some kind of advantage.
There may be no way to reverse this trend but the NHL would be a lot more fun to watch if "playoff hockey" was something closer to regular season hockey.
Kane deserved a 1-game suspension, even if similar playoff hits didn't get suspensions.
Goalie health and the need to have 2 strong goalies: often why some teams win the Stanley Cup. Colorado starting goalie Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury in Game 1. Pavel Francouz played well in relief of Kuemper against Nashville as well as in this series against Edmonton.
Mike Smith, despite many flaws, was the best choice vs. Mikko Koskinen.
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Amanda Hawkins is the Colorado anthem singer. Hawkins sang the correct words to O Canada in Game 1 but slipped back into the old lyric of "in all thy sons command" in Game 2. We've heard a few slips, mostly early on after the change. Difficult to get how you get it right on national TV in both countries yet went back to the old verse 2 nights later.
If there had been a Game 5, hopefully Hawkins would have sung the correct lyrics.
2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs preview for Canadian teams
The NHL draft order has been established:
1. Montréal Canadiens
7. Ottawa Senators
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
26. Montréal Canadiens (via Calgary Flames)
29. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers got the #29 pick since they had the fewest points (104) of the losing conference finalists in that round.
The Winnipeg Jets will receive the New York Rangers first-round pick as part of their compensation for Andrew Copp.
The Jets traded Copp for forward Morgan Barron, a conditional second-round pick. a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick at the trade deadline. That conditional second-round pick was to be upgraded to the first round if the Rangers reached the conference final with Copp playing at least half of the games.
Fair to say Copp has been a big reason why the Rangers have gone this far.
2022 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs scoreboard
Congratulations to Martin St. Louis for remaining as coach of Les Habs. Would be nice for the Canadiens to hang on to a coach for awhile. #DominiqueDucharme
CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage
See you in September for a NHL preseason schedule that might even include Kraft Hockeyville games in Atlantic Canada.
video and photo credit: Rogers Sportsnet/NHL
Twitter capture: @Bob_Stauffer
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