Crackdown On Penalties Gets Mixed Reviews
Scoring has increased slightly since the league ordered referees to call more penalties for obstruction and interference.
In 137 games since play resumed after the Olympics, there has been an average of 5.34 goals a game. The average was 5.28 in the previous 736 games.
Though there are more whistles, Washington right wing Peter Bondra likes what he sees.
“Guys used to sort of grab you and make you drag them with you,” Bondra told the Washington Post. “They don’t do that anymore, you can notice it for sure. Sometimes it used to be hard to get through a defense. They’d be on top of you, but now it’s kind of open. A guy might still give you a little hook, but now he has to let you go.”
The crackdown has allowed muckers like Washington captain Dale Hunter to benefit.
“I think it affects guys like me who are not as fleet of foot even more than a guy like Peter Bondra or Pavel Bure,” Hunter said. “… A fast guy does not get held in the corners because he’s already out of there. The rest of us take a while to get out, and they used to come in and pin you in the corner. If we have a 2-on-1, a guy would latch on to me. But now he can’t do that.”
Kings coach Larry Robinson had opposed stricter enforcement, blaming it on “whiny babies who don’t want to get touched.”
Washington coach Ron Wilson says his team is being called for more penalties than its opponents. The Caps were called for four obstruction penalties Wednesday against Carolina, which was assessed one.
“We’re killing penalties all night long. … We’re not a rough, physical team, and yet we’re being called for these little infractions,” Wilson said. “I’m not saying they’re not infractions, but don’t tell me the other team isn’t hooking and holding, either.”
On the ice
Shjon Podein scored a power-play goal with 20.1 seconds left in overtime as the Philadelphia Flyers rebounded from their first loss under coach Roger Neilson with a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday in Philadelphia.
At Kanata, Ontario, Teemu Selanne scored three goals and Mikhail Shtalenkov blocked 51 shots to lead the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Selanne, who leads the league with 49 goals, scored on a first-period power play, a second-period breakaway and into an empty net with 1:33 left in the third period.
Steve Rucchin added a goal and two assists for the Ducks, while Frank Banham also scored to give head coach Pierre Page his 250th NHL win.
At Dallas, the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins played the sixth scoreless tie in the NHL this season.
The Penguins last scoreless draw came this season on Jan. 20 against Ottawa. The Stars’ previous 0-0 game was on Feb. 24, 1994, against Los Angeles.