News » Players take note: Referees aren’t swallowing their whistles so far

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 http://www.canucksshoponline.com/authentic-alex-burmistrov-jersey , 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 http://www.canucksshoponline.com/authentic-brock-boeser-jersey ,” 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 http://www.canucksshoponline.com/authentic-henrik-sedin-jersey , 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.— EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — A long look at a close call helped the St. Louis Blues take two points Tuesday night and left the Edmonton Oilers scratching their heads.Pat Maroon was credited with the tiebreaking goal following a replay review early in the third period Jacob Markstrom Jersey , and St. Louis went on to a 4-1 victory over Edmonton.David Perron, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz also scored for the Blues, who have won three of four. Brayden Schenn had three assists.“It was a real solid team effort,” interim coach Craig Berube said. “Man to man, everybody was dialed in and played a real solid team game for 60 minutes. Special teams were big, we scored a big power-play goal, the penalty kill was excellent.”Jesse Puljujarvi scored for the Oilers, who had won six straight home games.Maroon’s second goal of the season came 2:19 into the final period. Officials determined the puck crossed the line during a goal-mouth scramble, even though initially no goal was called on the ice.“The way it was explained to us was that he pushed on the puck, he didn’t push on the pad,” Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said. “The pad happened to go with the puck. That was the way it was explained to us. They said they had an overhead view that said the puck was in before the push started. The look that we had was different. So what are you going to do?”Maroon was just happy the goal counted.“I think the longer (the review) goes, the better it is for us. I think if it goes longer Markus Granlund Jersey , they’re making a decision if it crossed the line, and it went long to see if it was goaltender interference, too,” he said. “It means a lot. I’ve been struggling a lot and I haven’t been going to the net as much and I haven’t been finding ways to get the puck in the net.”Edmonton forward Jujhar Khaira was serving a five-minute major for cross-checking when the Blues added to their lead as Tarasenko ended a seven-game drought with his 10th goal of the season.Schwartz put the game away with an empty-netter.St. Louis went ahead eight minutes into the first period when Perron beat Oilers goalie Cam Talbot up high with a wrist shot for his 11th goal of the season.The Blues had 13 first-period shots, while the Oilers only put eight on St. Louis starter Jake Allen, who finished with 22 saves.Edmonton came close five minutes into the second period, but Connor McDavid ripped a shot off the crossbar. The Oilers got the tying goal a couple of minutes after that, however, when Puljujarvi scored on a one-timer — a play that withstood a replay review for a potential offside call.Edmonton defenseman Caleb Jones picked up his first NHL point with an assist.The Oilers came close to grabbing the lead early in the third when Khaira’s shot got behind Allen before being fished out to safety by defender Joel Edmundson.Maroon’s winner came minutes later.NOTES: It was the second of three meetings between the teams. Edmonton won the first one 3-2 in a shootout on Dec. 5. … Allen allowed 10 first-period goals on 40 shots in his previous four starts, but blanked Edmonton in the opening period this time.UP NEXTBlues: The second stop on a three-game Western Canada swing comes Thursday in Vancouver.Oilers: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the second game of a five-game homestand.