Orpik’s ban shows NHL serious about head hits
The Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins series is a highly competitive, entertaining playoff matchup in which every check, play and decision seems critical.
But the importance of the series doesn’t give players a license to act dangerously in the name of winning.
That’s the underlying message of the NHL’s decision Sunday to suspend Washington defenseman Brooks Orpik for three games for his head-contact check against Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta in Game 2.
It sends a clear message that there will be no relaxing of standards in the playoffs.
Orpik received only a two-minute minor for interference on the play when it seemed as if he deserved a major penalty.
The extent of Maatta’s injury has not been revealed, but Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said Sunday that he was not optimistic Maatta would be able to play in Game 3 of the Eastern Confer- ence semifinal Monday.
The three-game suspension during a playoff series is a harsh penalty. There is always an expectation of one-game suspensions because one playoff game can determine a series. A two-game suspension is considered a heavy suspension in the playoffs.
What the three-game penalty says is the NHL is not afraid to interfere with the competitiveness of a series if it is necessary to preserve its mission to eliminate head hits from the game.
Maatta was knocked woozy by the hit. He had to be assisted off the ice. If we aren’t going to punish those kinds of hits severely, what hope do we have of eliminating them from the game? We can’t mitigate the punishment because it came at an inopportune time for the player’s team.
Given that Maatta did seem to suffer a significant injury on the play, this was an appropriate penalty, and the league should be lauded for having the conviction to levy it.
In the video describing the incident, the NHL pointed out Maatta was not even eligible to be checked because he had long before released the puck.
“By the time contact is made, a full second has passed,” the NHL said in its statement.
The NHL’s position was that Orpik was in control of the situation and certainly had time to avoid any contact with the head.
“(Orpik) knows Maatta is not in control of the puck,” the NHL statement said.
Orpik, who played with the Penguins before joining the Capitals two years ago, had been suspended twice previously. Always a punishing hitter, Orpik is a critical player for Washington. He is often paired with John Carlson, and they match up against the opponent’s top offensive players. Orpik is also a rugged penalty killer.
But the Capitals have adjusted to his absence in the past. He missed half the season, and Washington still ended up winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the No. 1 regular-season team.
He also missed three games with an upper-body injury in the first round of the playoffs.
But his value is enhanced the deeper the Capitals go in the postseason. He is especially important in a hard-hitting series such as the one against the Penguins. Orpik is hard to play against. Now he is out until at least Game 6. This series could be over by then.
Dmitry Orlov likely will go back into the mix, but he probably won’t play all that much. Carlson probably will log more minutes, as Kris Letang did when Maatta went out of the game.
This is a serious price the Capitals and Orpik are paying, as it should be.