Knights on top of their game; it’s a shame officials aren’t, too
WITHIN one of the great sports books, certainly the finest on hockey, read these passages: NHL refereeing is an impressionistic exercise. … Mostly, it is the extent of a referee’s discretion that makes hockey so difficult to officiate. In hockey, officiating is like doing spotchecks on New Year’s Eve. Anything signaled is bound to be an infraction, and so good calls can seem like bad ones, everything becomes arguable, and no one is happy. … It’s not what is a penalty, it’s what the game allows. And the more it allows, the more it gets, and the more it gets, the more it allows. … Hockey is the most difficult of professional sports to officiate well.
That damn Ken Dryden.
He’s a better writer than he was
When: Where: TV: player, and we’re talking a Hall of Fame goaltender.
Leave it to a Cornell guy to be terrific at both.
Full disclosure: I usually despise columns on officiating in any sport, choosing to believe those critical of the job wouldn’t want or couldn’t properly execute it, that the vast majority of those who choose the profession are honorable folks attempting to do their best work.
GRANEY
Network 159)
Radio: KRLV (98.9 FM, 1340 AM); ESPN Deportes (1460 AM)
Line: Knights -160; total 5½ over -130
said. “We were a little bit loose last night in the (defensive) zone. We’ve got to be a little bit tighter. Again, that comes from having some time off. You can work on stuff in practice, but you want to make sure guys aren’t getting hurt in practice, so you do as much as you can.
“It wasn’t brutal last night, but our (defensive) zone was a lot better in the Winnipeg series than it was in the first game (Monday) night. And I’m not worried about it. I know we’ll be a lot better (Wednesday) night.”
Game 1 was a retro, 1980s affair, with at least one borderline hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson and wideopen play from both teams.
It was great value for the announced crowd 18,575, but maybe not for the players involved.
“Obviously the fans love it, stuff like that,” defenseman Colin Miller said. “But I think if you would have asked us, we would have liked a little bit cleaner game. I think some of those turnovers in the neutral zone, you get in trouble with such a good offensive team like Washington. Definitely fun to watch, but if you’d have asked (Gallant), he probably would have wanted it a little tighter.”
The Knights entered the Stanley Cup Final allowing 1.8 goals per game, which ranks No. 2 behind Los Angeles (1.75 in four games).
They allowed three or fewer goals in 12 of their first 15 postseason games, but had several defensive breakdowns against Washington following a seven-day layoff.
“Communication was off a little, so a couple switches were off and gave them a little too much time,” defenseman Luca Sbisa said. “I think we were a bit hesitant. I don’t know if it was maybe because it was the first game of the Stanley Cup Final, but it’s just a matter of focusing on those little details.”
As Fleury noted, two of Washington’s four goals had nothing to do with the Knights’ defensive coverage. Brett Connolly tipped in the Capitals’ first goal, and Fleury accidentally kicked the puck into his own net early in the third period.
Washington’s other goals were the result of breakdowns.
In the first period, Nicklas Backstrom skated through the slot
unchecked, and when T.J. Oshie lost control of the puck on a wraparound attempt, Backstrom was able to corral the loose puck and chip a backhander past Fleury for a 2-1 lead.
Similarly, Washington defenseman John Carlson got loose in the slot during the second period and put the Capitals on top 3-2 after Oshie’s no-look pass left Fleury stranded.
In addition, Carlson hit the post twice, and Washington’s Lars Eller had a chance in the final minute that was broken up by Knights defenseman Brayden Mcnabb.
“The Backstrom goal, that’s our line. We’ve got to be better there, for sure,” forward James Neal said. “Some costly turnovers, some errors. But at the end of the day, for them, they’ll be mad at themselves for having a tough game, and for us, we’re mad at ourselves for not being sharp enough. But we’ll reset here and have a better one (Wednesday).”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702387-5203. Follow @Davidschoenlvrj on Twitter.