It’s a darn shame the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks meet only once a year. Games between the two 
clubs invariably feature superb skill play, gut-wrenching momentum swings, and the riveting intensity of a Stanley Cup Finals matchup.
Tuesday night’s contest at the CONSOL Energy Center was no exception. Playing arguably their finest 40 minutes of the season, the Penguins stormed to a three-goal lead and withstood a furious Chicago rally to emerge with a pulsating 3-2 victory.
The high-flying Hawks entered the game on a roll. Boasting an NHL-best 46 points, the Windy City sextet had won five games in a row and nine out of 11.
However, the home-standing Penguins proved more than ready. Deryk Engelland set the tone for a hard-charging, fast-paced affair when he nailed Chicago rookie Marcus Kruger with a thunderous check at the nine-minute mark. Hawks heavyweight John Scott flew in to challenge the rugged Pens defender, but drew an instigator penalty in the process. On the ensuing power play Chris Kunitz cruised down the slot and buried the puck behind Chicago goalie Ray Emery to stake the Pens to an early lead.
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With the NHL hierarchy getting together and deciding a rule on head shots and putting it into effect mid season, I was thinking why don’t they try an curb a few of the other problems before they become big issues and happen during an important game in the playoffs. Here are the rule changes that I suggest the NHL fast track:
1. A game cannot end while the winning team has an odd man penalty against them.
Picture this: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Atlanta is beating Chicago 4-3 with 8 seconds left in the game when Jonathan Toews grabs the puck at center ice and dekes 2 players. Now he’s one on one against Chris Chelios. Toews slides the puck through Chelios and starts to go around him when Chelios with his older skill set, yet infinite hockey knowledge decides to bear hug Toews who had him easily beat. The puck drifts to the corner, time ticks off the clock, Atlanta wins and Chelios gets called for interference at the 20 minute mark even though the game is over and the Stanley Cup has been won. Sounds far fetched yes, but it is a completely legal play in the NHL and similar things have happened in the past.
The NHL needs to put this into place immediately. The game cannot end on a penalty has worked great for the NFL for many years.
2. Use the “Fox Trax” technology to see if a puck went into the net.
How many of you remember Fox Sports glowing puck? How about using that technology or a variation of it to determine if a goaltender is laying on a puck inside the net or if the puck inside the glove crossed the goal line. Right now if a goaltender is laying on a puck in the goal even if the referee asks him to stay there the goaltender can still slide out on his back with the puck under him and the referee cannot call a penalty on the goaltender for sliding out of the net on his back even though he asked him not to and the ref cannot call ...
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The NHL network may have jumped the gun on this one a little being 50+ games left and all. Though I’m pretty sure the goal of the year by Steven Stamkos will stick at #1. Sidney Crosby had the #7 and #5 goals and I didn’t find them all that exciting, but I’ve been watching him do that stuff game after game for years now. The #10 goal of the year was against Marc-Andre Fleury and should be in the top 5 in my opinion. ...
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Tags: Brendon Morrison, Chris Drury, Datsuk, Goals of the Year, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, top ten
All PenguinPoop Posts, PKrundle | Phil Krundle | 
April 5, 2010 9:50 pm | 
Comments (2)
Three centers — three lines and an obscene number of shots on goal. If it wasn’t for Vokoun’s outstanding goaltending they might have called the game using the mercy rule. Fleury who had a little shaky 2nd period made up for that in the 3rd, the OT and put up another stonewall in the gimmick shootout.
But once again it’s the picklestabbing Jordan Staal to the rescue… (Staal is going to end-up being the best draft pick in the SUPER 2006 Entry Draft Class that also included Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom, Erik Johnson, Phil Kessel to name a few). The Pens got the early 3rd period goal that they needed and the fans who had been watching a shooting gallery began to feel it. That puck ricocheted around the goal crease and the pinball wizard, picklestabbing Staal knocks the puck down and ...
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