Noncall might have sparked Penguins in wild win over Capitals
The hockey world is still abuzz over Monday’s wild game at Pittsburgh between the Penguins and the Washington Capitals, one in which nine goals were scored in the second period and ended in an 8-7 overtime victory for the Penguins.
Lost in much of the hype over the flood of goals was a cheap shot by Pittsburgh’s Patric Hornqvist that lit the fuse for the fireworks at PPG Paints Arena.
With the Penguins trailing 3-0 and obviously frustrated, Hornqvist nailed Washington’s T.J. Oshie with a high stick to the head. Oshie was knocked for a loop and went to the dressing room to be checked by doctors as per the NHL’s concussion protocol.
Hornqvist received a two-minute penalty, not for high sticking or elbowing (he also got his elbow in Oshie’s face) but for roughing after Capitals forward Daniel Winnik came to Oshie’s defense and the two briefly fought.
The Penguins scored, and the scoreboard explosion was on.
But what would have happened had Hornqvist been called for a major penalty for the hit to Oshie’s head? Or at least assessed two additional minutes to go with the roughing? Would the Penguins have been able to have the same momentum?
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said as much Wednesday when he told The Washington Post that the noncall on Hornqvist changed the game.
“If it’s there, it’s there,” Ovechkin said. “The last game, how many calls they missing? Obviously, before four-on-four, it was a straight head shot on Osh and no call. It was six men on the ice, and I asked him why he didn’t see that and why he didn’t call that. He said, ‘Well, I was watching six men on the ice and another guy see the same.’ I said, ‘Why didn’t you call that?’ ‘Well, we figured out we tried to do something else.’ OK, so just call it. You killed the game and killed our momentum.”
This isn’t about taking sides; it’s about safety. If the NHL is serious about protecting players, then the referees have to do their jobs. And if the refs don’t call it, the department of player safety needs to make it right.
The league talks about taking head shots out of the game, but on Monday, that’s all it was — talk. And it took the edge off what turned out to be arguably the NHL’s game of the season.
PATRICK’S BACK
Remember Nolan Patrick? The center and captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who entered the season as the projected No. 1 pick for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in June, finally returned to action Jan. 13 after missing three months with an upper body injury.
Patrick had two goals and two assists against Kootenay in his first game back.
“He appears fully recovered, and we don’t anticipate any setbacks,” said Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner and the assistant general manager of the Golden Knights.
On Wednesday, NHL Central Scouting released its midseason rankings. Patrick was No. 1, followed by Switzerland center Nico Hischier, who had a strong showing at the World Junior Championships. They will meet in the CHL Prospects Game on Jan. 30 in Quebec City. Patrick will captain Team Cherry, and Hischier, who plays for Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will captain Team Orr.
Several Golden Knights scouts and hockey operations members will be at the game, including McCrimmon and Scott Luce, the team’s director of amateur scouting.
SO LONG, SHANE?
The unthinkable actually might be thinkable. Yes, Shane Doan might be willing to leave the Arizona Coyotes.
Doan indicated he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the veteran forward could be dealt to a Stanley Cup contender. But he also said it would have to be “the perfect situation.” Think Ray Bourque to Colorado in 2001.
Doan, 40, has played his entire career with the Coyotes, starting when they were the Winnipeg Jets in 1995. He is a two-time all-star who has 400 career goals and recently appeared in his 1,500th NHL game.
The Coyotes have the second-worst record in the NHL and aren’t making the playoffs. So maybe they can send Doan to a contender for draft picks.
The trading deadline is March 1.
Steve Carp’s weekly NHL notebook appears Sundays. Contact him at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.
WEEK’S THREE STARS
1. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh. Had hat trick in Penguins’ wild 8-7 win over Capitals. Second in NHL scoring race with 52 points.
2. John Tavares, New York Islanders. Scored seven goals in four games but lost his coach during week.
3. Kyle Turris, Ottawa. Seven points in past five games. Leads Senators with 16 goals.
