Diskussionen » We get tired and some guys

Players take note: Referees aren’t swallowing their whistles so far in the 2018 NHL playoffs.Penalties are up more than 17 percent over the same time a year ago and are playing a substantial role in several series. Through 19 games in the first round Vegas Golden Knights Hoodies Authentic , there have been nearly 10 penalties per game. Last year, there was an average of eight penalties called through 20 games.”The penalties that have been called in the series so far is an indication of how the referees are calling the game,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said Monday. ”They’re calling it as they see it. I think discipline is of the utmost importance.”While the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions haven’t been perfect in that regard against Philadelphia, they haven’t been derailed by a lack of discipline. Around the rest of the NHL, penalties and the ensuing power-play goals are making a big difference: There have been 38 power-play goals through Sunday’s games compared with just 21 in 2017.The NHL wants officials to call playoffs at the same standard as the regular season, which is happening with penalties actually going up from the first period through the third. Each of the 10 pairings of referees working the playoffs has at least one who has worked the Cup Final, so the hope is having that experience helps maintain consistency.The Washington Capitals blew two-goal leads in back-to-back overtime losses on home ice to Columbus because of ill-advised penalties and go into Game 3 on the road (7:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, NBCSN) knowing it’s a problem that needs immediate fixing.”We need to be a little smarter,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. ”We need to play with better discipline – especially when we have the lead twice. … It’s obviously going to hurt you in the playoffs. That’s the way it is. It’s just fact.”Nine of the 14 regulation goals in the Washington-Columbus series have come on the power play. The Blue Jackets, who surged into the playoffs by not taking a lot of penalties to tax one of the worst special teams units in the league, lead the playoffs in penalty minutes per game.Coach John Tortorella said the Blue Jackets ”have to cure that” because it’s too dangerous to keep taking so many penalties. His players know it even if they’re unsure of the standard.”We need to stay out of the box, but you never know what’s a call and what’s not anymore Vegas Golden Knights Hats Authentic ,” forward Cam Atkinson said. ”But that’s the game right now.”In the West, where Winnipeg leads Minnesota 2-1, the teams realize how tight things are being called.The Wild took five penalties in the first 31 minutes Sunday night and stymied the Jets’ power play in a 6-2 comeback win. The teams combined for 19 penalties – including some fights and misconducts – in the second game of their series.”We’ve just got to watch taking penalties,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. ”Both teams were really emotional at the beginning and you’ve got to worry about taking penalties and getting behind the eight ball.”It’s chippy between the Golden Knights and Kings, too, with Vegas up 3-0 going into Game 4 (10:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, NBCSN) in Los Angeles. All three games so far have been decided by a goal, L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty was suspended for an illegal check to the head of William Carrier and Kings coach John Stevens is none too happy about a missed call on Vegas forward Erik Haula for hitting Anze Kopitar in the face with the butt end of his stick Sunday night .”We get a guy suspended for making a hockey play, and he butt-ends one of the best players in the world in the face,” Stevens said. ”That’s an intent-to-injure play.”COMEBACK KINGS?Los Angeles is the most recent team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, doing so in 2014 against the San Jose Sharks on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. Stevens, who was an assistant four years ago Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys , said his team has ”had some resilience all year,” and the tightness of the games against Vegas combined with the excellence of goaltender Jonathan Quick certainly makes an turnaround possible.INJURIESThe Jets lost Tyler Myers to a lower-body injury that coach Paul Maurice thought was avoidable, and the big defenseman’s status is uncertain going into Game 4 (8 p.m. EDT Tuesday, CNBC). Young Tucker Poolman could draw into the lineup in place of Myers if necessary.The Capitals won’t have forward Andre Burakovsky for at least Games 3 and 4 in Columbus because of an upper-body injury. Coach Barry Trotz said Burakovsky is going to ”miss some time” after being crunched into the boards by Boone Jenner in Game 2. Speedy winger Jakub Vrana, a surprise scratch for Washington on Sunday, goes back in for Burakovsky.WHO STARTS?Trotz said he has decided who will start in goal for the Capitals in Game 3 but hadn’t yet told Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer. After Grubauer allowed eight goals on 49 shots before being yanked at the second intermission of Game 2, the smart money is on Holtby, the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner.BARTON OUTLinesman Steve Barton, who was injured when he inadvertently clipped skates with Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson and had to be helped off the ice by trainers, dislocated his kneecap and tore a quadriceps muscle in his left leg. Barton will require surgery but didn’t tear ligaments in his knee, which doctors said is good news because they expect him to make a full recovery.— The Vegas Golden Knights are searching for answers heading into Sunday’s home game against the Ottawa Senators after left winger Max Pacioretty reportedly may have suffered a concussion in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.Pacioretty, an offseason trade acquisition from the Montreal Canadiens John Moore Jersey Womens , was in rhythm in recent games with members of Vegas’ second line — Alex Tuch and Erik Haula — before he was clocked by Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn in the first period.Pacioretty’s absence forced coach Gerard Gallant to make changes, which caused the Golden Knights (4-5-1) to be out of sync. They have lost consecutive games in their five-game homestand that ends against the Senators (4-4-1).Article continues below ...Ottawa is also trying to snap a two-game losing funk. The Senators started a three-game road trip with a 6-3 loss to Colorado on Friday. They conclude their trip on Tuesday at Arizona.The second line has been a concern for Gallant since the start of the season, including when another major acquisition, Paul Stastny, went down with an unspecified injury in the third game of the season. Stastny could reportedly be out up to three months.Tuch began the season on injured reserve, and his return last week seemed to enhance the second line with Pacioretty. If Pacioretty suffered a concussion, he must go under the NHL’s concussion protocol, which means he can miss a few games.“You hate to lose a player like Pacioretty in the hockey game, but that’s what coaching is all about. You’ve got to mix your lines up and see how it goes,” Gallant said. “A lot of guys played a few more minutes than they usually do.”Ottawa goes to Las Vegas coming off the loss at Colorado, a game in which former Avalanche forward Matt Duchene scored two goals in his first game against his former team.Duchene, acquired by the Senators from the Avalanche in a three-team transaction with the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5 Chris Wagner Jersey Womens , 2017, is one of 20 active NHL players to score at least one goal against all 31 teams. He was traded early in his ninth season with the Avalanche, who selected him in the first round (third pick overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, leaving here,” Duchene said after the loss to Colorado. “It was something I never wanted to do, it was something I felt I had to do. Sometimes that’s life and that’s the business. Just the signs in warmup and the people that were being so kind meant a lot to me. You touch the puck, you’re going to get booed. Avs fans are competitive and you kind of expect it.”Ottawa coach Guy Boucher is concerned about his team’s defense after allowing six Colorado goals.“It’s the exact same thing as the last game,” said Boucher, referring to the Boston Bruins’ 4-1 win over the Senators on Tuesday. “We didn’t defend well on the rush against their top players. We know that’s the quest that we have.“We have to grow fast enough to be able to defend against the top players. We see the weaknesses once we get to the third period. We get tired and some guys are lacking a little bit of experience.”