from Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal,

Bouncing pucks. Players losing their edges. It made for some frustrating moments for both teams, particularly for the Washington Capitals, who lost 6-4. Several times during the game, the ice crew had to come out and do patch work around the blue Stanley Cup Final logos near the blue lines along with other areas.

George Salami, the conversion manager who oversees the ice at T-Mobile Arena, insists the surface was not an issue.

“Nothing happened. There were no problems,” he said Tuesday. “Sometimes during the course of a game the players’ skates carve some hard, deep ruts in the ice. When we see the ruts, we go out and we patch them up....

Salami huddled with Dan Craig, the NHL’s ice guru, to review the integrity of the playing surface. Salami said the league gave the sheet high marks.

“They had no complaints whatsoever,” Salami said of league officials. “We’ve had nothing but great reports all year. They’re very happy with the quality. Dan said, ‘Do what you’re doing, Salami.’ ”

An NHL spokesman said the league would not make Craig available for comment, saying the ice conditions at T-Mobile Arena are not an issue.

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