OILERS BACK LUCIC OVER LEAGUE ACTION RATTIE BACK IN LINEUP
Edmonton tough guy docked US$10,000 for retaliatory hit on Lightning’s Joseph
Milan Lucic wanted a refreshing day at the beach Wednesday on an Edmonton Oilers off-day here, but instead was feeling the heat and on the phone with the Department of Player Safety offering his side as he looked for a pound of flesh after Tampa’s Mathieu Joseph had hit Kris Russell from behind.
After some deliberation, the league rightly decided to only fine Lucic US$10,000.
No suspension, a slap on the wrist, as it should be for the players policing their game.
“Just standing up for a teammate, especially a guy who gets penalties called on him when he hits clean ... standing up for a heart-and-soul guy who puts his body on the line the way he blocks shots every night,” said Lucic.
“He’s got a pretty nice mark on his face from the hit from behind.”
Lucic thought it was “time to react” at 5-2.
He was right.
His coach, Todd McLellan, thought there was nothing wrong with it.
“We felt a player took a liberty with Kris Russell and I agree with that. Part of the reason we have Looch here is to watch out for that. His teammates need that (response),” said McLellan.
Lucic’s centre, Ryan Strome, figured it was one man trying to even a score.
“The league’s cracking down on whacks and slashes, but the league has to watch guys who’ve been run from behind. Kris was cut. It’s a game of emotion,” said Strome.
The Lightning saw it differently, which is their right.
“I thought it was a premeditated, blind-side hit,” Steven Stamkos said after the 5-2 Tampa win Tuesday.
“I saw it live, I haven’t seen it replayed. You just don’t want to see that.”
Here’s how it went down. Lucic was in hunt mode after the refs missed the Joseph hit on Russell earlier in the third. He didn’t follow Joseph up the ice, baiting him with his stick.
He waited until he came off the boards, they belted him with a hard bodycheck.
Albeit, an unsuspecting check, but not a high elbow.
Then, he cuffed him a few times, then jumped on him.
It wasn’t like he wailed on him like it was Ultimate Fighting.
But the NHL has to be seen as being politically correct on violence. The league used to let players look after their own store when they thought something was wrong.
Now, they step in, look at the tape 100 times and make a disciplinary call. This was Lucic sending a “don’t do that” message to Joseph. He could have hurt him, but he didn’t. It looked like a reputation hearing for a “roughing ” penalty.
Lightning disturber Cedric Paquette also spent much of the night running Oilers, too — Oscar Klefbom and Matt Benning.
“He tries to get under people’s skin,” said Lucic.
Ty Rattie should have had a goal in his first game back from his oblique muscle strain, but Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped it with his helmet.
But Rattie made a nifty backhand feed to Leon Draisaitl for a goal.
“I thought Ty played an admirable game. He hasn’t had a lot of practice time because we’ve played so many games (nine in 15 days),” said McLellan.
NO EXCUSES ON TRIP
McLellan didn’t want to use the compressed schedule as a crutch.
“We’ve lost two in a row and we’ve had a taxing time, but I don’t want to use any excuses. We’re looking for a day off here to, hopefully, refill the tank so we can go home with a .500 trip,” said McLellan, who definitely needs a win over the Panthers, who haven’t played since returning from Finland after their Nov. 1-2 games against the Jets.
BRAYDEN POINT DREW McDAVID IN TAMPA
We felt a player took a liberty with Kris Russell and I agree with that. Part of the reason we have Looch here is to watch out for that.
Tampa centre Brayden Point is the Lightning ’s best two-way player, often out against the other team’s big gun.
It was his turn at Connor McDavid on Tuesday and he was very good.
“Point has done a remarkable job working his way into the league (third-round pick) and while you look at his offensive numbers and appreciate those, his faceoffs and his attention to detail is really good,” said McLellan.
This ’n’ that: The Oilers’ top four on defence, solid for weeks, had troubles the last two road games. Klefbom and Adam Larsson struggled for one of their rare nights against the Caps and Russell and Darnell Nurse were minus-7 collectively against Tampa ... McLellan didn’t know if Alex Chiasson, dinged up in Washington, would play against Florida ... Suspended Vegas defenceman Nate Schmidt has been allowed to skate with his club and his first game will be Nov. 18 against the Oilers in Edmonton.