Penalties playing major role early in postseason

Discipline is taking on greater value in the first round of the playoffs, with officials calling games tighter than usual. Players and coaches aren’t sure of the standard but are trying to adjust and not hurt themselves with costly penalties.

Penalties are up more than 17 percent over the same time a year ago and are playing a substantial role in several series. Through 19 games in the first round, there had been nearly 10 penalties per game; last year, an average of eight penalties were called through 20 games.

“They’re calling it as they see it,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Monday. “I think discipline is of the utmost importance.”

While the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions haven’t been perfect in that regard against the Flyers, they haven’t been derailed by a lack of discipline. Around the rest of the NHL, penalties and the ensuing power-play goals are making a big difference: There have been 38 powerplay goals through Sunday’s games compared with just 21 in 2017.

The Capitals blew twogoal leads in back-to-back overtime losses on home ice to the Blue Jackets because of ill-advised penalties and go into Game 3 on the road knowing it’s a problem that requires immediate fixing.

“We need to be a little smarter,” center Nicklas Backstrom said. “We need to play with better discipline, especially when we have the lead twice. It’s obviously going to hurt you in the playoffs. It’s just fact.”

Nine of the 14 regulation goals in the Capitals-Blue Jackets series have come on the power play.

In the West, the Wild took five penalties in the first 31 minutes Sunday night and stymied the Jets’ power play in a 6-2 comeback win. The teams combined for 19 penalties — including some fights and misconducts — in the second game of their series.

It’s chippy between the Golden Knights and Kings too, with Vegas up 3-0 going into Game 4 in Los Angeles. Kings coach John Stevens wasn’t happy about a missed call on Knights forward Erik Haula for hitting Anze Kopitar in the face with the butt end of his stick Sunday night .

“That’s an intent-to-injure play,” Stevens said. AP