For one second, just one second, close your eyes, and watch this game over again with your minds eye. Now, while watching this game, ignore the goals. Ignore the final score, and ignore the odd man play. What you should be seeing is 5 on 5, or 4 on 4 action.
Ok, now that you have done that, allow the even strength goals to creep into your mind. Lets ignore for a second the Pominville goal (trust me, we’re coming back to that shortly). You have the Sabres scoring 2 Even strength goals, and the Rangers scoring 1 even strength goal. That is a very very close even strength game. In fact, all you can say is, had the Rangers not lost their composure for that 4 minute span (both even strength goals scored during that span) they may have actually won this aspect. Lets add, composure, and attention to detail as a key thing for next game.
Next, lets look at the Odd-man game. The final score here is 1-1. However the Rangers were on the power-play for 6:31, to the Sabres 11:07. Now, let me clarify one thing really quick before you say anything. I feel, without a shadow of a doubt, the on-ice reffing was not only fairly called, but absolutely SUPERB. The Rangers deserved (in my not so humble opinion) every call they got against them, and for them. They were undisciplined, and took “lazy” penalties. I credit that to rust, and expect them to be better next game. So, what I take away from the odd-man inner look at the game, is that had the Rangers been a bit smarter, and more disciplined, they might have a better shot. Ok, lets add that as a key to the next game.
Ok, so right now, the score in your minds eye should be Buffalo 3, Rangers 2. What was the final score again? Oh yes, Rangers 2, Sabres 5. Ok, well one of those was an empty netter, those are a result of trailing, and dont really show how close the game was. Now, lets talk about the meat and potatoes here. The Buffalo 4th goal.
That goal, was unequivocally, a terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE call by the video review crew. Yes, this is going to sound like an Islander whine, if you don’t want to hear it? That’s fine, you can probably find something really great to read on any of the links in my blogroll on the right hand side of your screen.
Are you still with me?
Great, ok, lets walk through the play in question step by step shall we?
Fact: The on-ice official called the play (correctly) a no-goal. It was pretty emphatic while watching live, the referee clearly waived his arms in a “no-goal” fashion rather than point to the net signaling goal.
Fact: According to the NHL Official Rulebook the play in question must be definitively a legal goal to overrule the on ice call.
Fact: The puck deflected in off of Pominvilles hand.
Fact: The hand of Pominville released from his stick, came out about a foot, very much like a “punching” motion, and during that “punch” the puck was deflected in the net.
Now, these are all facts that can be seen via some reading to verify them, or by watching replays of the play in question.
So, assuming these postulates are correct, and you don’t disagree with me, then the official reasoning for the goal being allowed should not only baffle you, as it has me, but should make you irate, as it has me. The reasoning given on the telecast was that there was not “intention” to bat the puck in.
Excuse me?!
Unless the guys in Toronto have a magical camera angle which can read the minds of the players in question, there is NO WAY you can call that play a goal. Absolutely NO WAY.
Now, I am sure some of you are saying, well, that just means you guys lose 4-2 instead of 5-2, what difference does that make? It makes ALL the difference in the world. First off all, we were trailing 3-1 at that point. When a team is trailing 3-1 they play a different game than 4-1. They can be deflated, and dead. In the end the final score should have been 3-2 Buffalo with an empty net goal, but thats not how it turned out. Anything could have happened at 3-1, coming back 4-1 though is a different story.
With all of that said, not only will I not back down from my prediction of Rangers in 6, I actually am re-affirmed to it. The Rangers play their best hockey when their backs are to the wall. When people count them out, when people say, see, they suck, they will get their butts kicked. And you can bet your ass thats what everyone is saying right now.
Let me leave you with something to think about. When Winston Churchill heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor, he broke out a bottle of champagne and said, “We’ve won the war.” His generals looked at him like he’d lost his mind. America’s pacific fleet was wiped out, France was overrun, and the Luftwaffe was bombing London. Churchill said America is like a giant boiler. Light a fire under it, and there’s no limit to the amount of heat it can generate. If you start a fire, Buffalo, you better be prepared to deal with the flames.You read it here first, after losing game 1, Rangers win the series in 6.
-Inferno
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