Late in the first period of Monday night’s
game between the Penguins and the Capitals, Washington center Marcus Johansson
took a brutal hit from Pittsburgh defenseman, Kris Letang that resulted in a
one-game suspension. With 21-year old defensive phenom Olli Maatta out with an
upper body injury, the Penguins have to face the likes of Ovechkin, Backstrom,
and Oshie without their top two defensemen.
The hit on Johansson wasn’t a direct head
shot which would have resulted in an illegal check to the head penalty. The
officials didn’t seem to think the head was the main target of the hit and the
footage seemed to back that up. It also wasn’t deemed a charging penalty though
many claim Letang’s skates were off the ice before contact. A close examination,
however, seems to indicate that his skates didn’t leave the ice until contact
was already made. In the end the NHL Department of Player Safety is focused on
one simple fact; Johansson wasn’t eligible to be hit in any manner on that
play, the puck was long gone, and that makes Letang’s hit illegal no matter
what.
The one-game suspension comes at an
important time for the Penguins who lead the series 2-1. With both Maatta and
Letang out for Game 4, they will have to rely on rookie Derrick Pouliot and
former Edmonton Oiler Justin Schultz to pick up the slack. Schultz hasn’t seen
the ice since Game 1 of the first round and Monday was Pouliot’s first playoff
game ever.
When asked how he plans to deal with the
lack of experienced defensemen Penguin’s coach Mike Sullivan was
matter-of-fact. “We’ll prepare the same way,” Sullivan said. “We’re not going
to change our style of play. We’ve had guys go down with injuries for long
stretches of time, important players. So, I think our team understands how we
have to play in order to be successful.”
The
series between these two teams has had its fair share of cheap shots and
controversy. Game 1 saw Capitals’ forward Tom Wilson go out of his way to make
knee-to-knee contact with Penguins’ forward Conor Sheary. While no penalty was
called on the ice, Wilson later received a fine. In Game 2, it was Brooks
Orpik’s illegal hit that knocked Maatta out for at least 2 games. Orpik
received a 3-game suspension for the check. Letang’s penalty and suspension in
Game 3 are only the next in a series. Clearly this has been a bruising and
emotional series.
With the
favored Capitals a game down it’s a sure bet that things are not going to get
any softer on the ice either. Whether the sentences being handed down by Player
Safety will help to keep the series under control remains to be seen.
Labels: Michael Quinn