Day-37 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
INKTIME on RINKTIME Observations and Random thoughts by Chris Madsen:
QUICK STRIKE: Nothing like scoring early to set the tone, pull in the fans and give the best goaltender in the game the mindset of, “OK, this is all we need.” And that is precisely what Justin Williams afforded Jonathan Quick and the rest of his teammates after the Kings sniper snapped-off a wicked low wrist shot past Chicago Goalie Corey Crawford, en route to 3-1 Game-3 victory in the Western Conference Final to trim the Blackhawks lead in the series to 2-games-to-1.
But there was a disturbing exchange in the 2nd Period between between the Kings Jeff Carter (who I thought was one of the best players on the ice last night) and Hawks star defenseman Duncan Keith (who, BTW, was -2 in this game). Now granted, Carter isn’t completely innocent. He initiated the exchange with a tap on Keith’s exposed hand with the HEEL of his stick. But Keith’s reaction was both undisciplined and dangerous when he swung the TOE of his stick and opened-up a gash just below Carter’s mouth. Checkout Exhibit “A”:
Duncan Keith claimed: “Yeah, it was accidental. Obviously, I wanted to give him a tap, but not where I got him. I felt bad. I’m glad to see that he came back. It was just a scuffle. It was an accident.”
While Kings Coach Darryl Sutter saw things differently: “I didn’t think it was a four-minute penalty. I thought it was a wrong call. That’s three head injuries now in the playoffs for us. I don’t know how to answer it. It’s retaliation with a stick. It’s not a high stick. Whatever they want to call it, they’ll call it. Don’t even need video.”
The injuries that Sutter is referencing is Kings Center Jarret Stoll who was out for for 6-games in the second round with an upper body injury (apparent concussion) after taking what was deemed an illegal hit by San Jose’s Raffi Torres. Then Kings Center Mike Richards has sat out the last 2-games after getting plastered by the Blackhawk’s Dave Bolland in Game-1 of this series.
Which leads us to the Question of the Day…should the Hawks Duncan Keith face supplemental discipline? Please COMMENT below. Regardless, have you ever tried having a cut heal where you are growing a beard?…PAINFUL!
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SOME NEW THREADS: I don’t know about you, but I have been collecting hockey jerseys since my first assigned “beat” (the Blackhawks) in 1981. And over those 33 years, I have bought, sold or given away over 200 sweaters.
Two teams…the Carolina Hurricanes and the Dallas Stars unveiled their new uniforms for next season. So please tell me if you think either one or both is/are worthy of consideration:
While down in Dallas:
BTW, the Stars on March 8, 2014, the Stars will officially retire Mike Modano’s No. 9. How fitting that the Stars opponent that night will be the Minnesota Wild–representing the State where Modano started his career with the North Stars after the franchise selected him first in the 1988 NHL Draft.
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UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE LACE ‘EM UP AND HIT THE ICE!–Chris Madsen
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TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE:
| Pittsburgh | at | Boston | 8:00 PM EST | ||
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