Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

You Call This Playoff Hockey?

04/22/2015 at 8:44am EDT

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Even allowing for the way hockey is transformed from a regular-season Autobahn to playoff bumper-to-traffic that’s 12th Avenue northbound at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, you would still have every reason to believe this first-round series should still feature a cavalcade of entertainment, and should still be a showcase for some of the league’s most compelling talent, right?

Well, you would be wrong, Shanahan Summit-breath. For in its infinite wisdom, the NHL has decided fans and the sport are better served when its officials turn blind eyes toward the hooking, holding and obstruction fouls for which there was supposed to be a zero-tolerance level coming out of the canceled 2004-05 season.

Neither the Rangers nor Penguins have benefitted to a greater degree by this return to the bad old days. The officiating hasn’t been determinative in the Blueshirts’ 2-1 margin in the series that resumes with Wednesday’s Game 4, even if both sides have legitimate grievances over the way the games have been called.

Pittsburgh’s Running of Henrik Lundqvist has become an annual rite of passage, like the Running of the Bulls, with Chris Kunitz for the second consecutive spring the most notorious and unabashed culprit. Undeterred in their own right, the Rangers have taken liberties against Crosby and any other Penguin on the move.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

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