David Puddy

Kerry Fraser said that he would have given Carkner a match penalty, which would mean he wouldn't have to give Dubinsky the third man in. However the rule is pretty clear that a match penalty can only be given in the event of an injury. This is my problem with the NHL rule book. It is overly prescriptive, and I think it makes the game harder to officiate because it handcuffs the officials in "common sense" situations like this.

I can't believe Ottawa had a chance to pass the Devils in the regular season... jeez.

Hilarious though. You're a hockey commentator. You should know if everybody stops playing, one team is celebrating, and there's no whistle, it's probably a goal.

Let's at least wait till we lose a f'n playoff game...

But the Panthers are a .500 team... as long as you ignore that OTL column! When you win 38 games out of 82, you are not a .500 team. Sorry fans.

I'm getting pissed off reading predictions. I just don't see this being a close series. The only way it goes more than 5 is if the team doesn't show up to play. Edit: Okay, finally found one that didn't piss me off.

http://www.puckprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=351 But of course, this may not actually be true... http://objectivenhl.blogspot.com/2009/12/shot-recording-bias-florida-and-new.html

Yup, and unfortunately NJ vs. Florida is a terrible TV draw. But notice that the Devils and Rangers first 4 games are on alternating nights. Maybe the league wanted to avoid conflicting games in the same TV market...

What cost Marty the Conn Smythe was Nieds having a Smythe-worthy 18-point playoff run. It's a g-d shame than neither of those guys got the Smythe

The Caps may go into the playoffs with an AHL goalie... which for most teams would be good news, but I'm sure he'll stand on his head if he plays the Devils.

And we're locked into 6th now. The Caps are looking good to win, so the only question is who will finish 3rd...

That title just reminds me of this... (warning: could be painful to relive)

I wouldn't put it past the Cryers to tank their last 2 games... so let's hope the Devils have it in them to tank against Ottawa if necessary.

Or: the Devils lose in OT and Ottawa loses in regulation. Then it doesn't matter what the Flyers do.

Well, Florida gets at least a point, which is more than I expected.

Because the coach is just mixing things up to give the players a fresh look, not creating permanent new lines.

Some of these are real head scratchers... Tuukka Rask? Derek Roy?

Bruins have 6 more ROW than the Panthers, so yes.

Also it would have increased the likelihood that Florida would finish 3rd.

Coaches can change lines for a few games just to shake things up... doesn't mean it's permanent. It's a good thing to keep players fresh. Hopefully it will be a cure to the over-passing the Devils have been doing.

Not only is he Canadian, before his game show days, he narrated the Stanley Cup highlight films. I remember seeing a highlight film from the late 50s or early 60s and thought "wtf? is that Trebek??!"

Then the gray area becomes when the player is moving but doesn't intentionally redirect the puck... e.g. he's driving the net, making a hockey stop, a pass comes across, and the puck hits his skate and goes in.

I'm personally in favor of giving officials more judgment in these situations. The problem is the current NHL officiating team hasn't really earned it. Disallowing everything off a skate would be awful... if you want to do that you might as well disallow anything that deflects off any part of an attacking player's body, no matter whether it was intentional or not. Personally I'd be in favor of going back to 1 ref and letting that ref view and make the final call on all instant replay situations (like in the NFL). Eliminate the war room in Toronto. One person should be responsible for all officiating decisions within a single game.

44 shots to 14. Unbelievable. Can't believe this wasn't an 8-0 game.

It's getting a little more interesting with Florida surging and the Bs slipping... either of those teams, plus the Sens and (less likely) the Caps (also on a 4-game win streak) could wind up in the 2 and 3 seeds.