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Pittsburgh Penguins Must Prevent Cheap Shots from Derailing Stanley Cup Run

By Rich Newpol

May 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) is helped off of the ice by Pens trainer Chris Stewart (R) after Crosby suffered an apparent injury against the Washington Capitals during the first period in game three of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) is helped off of the ice by Pens trainer Chris Stewart (R) after Crosby suffered an apparent injury against the Washington Capitals during the first period in game three of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Let’s Get Physical

In the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, teams have tried to ‘get physical’ against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Opposing coaches seem to think cheap shots will slow them down or wear them out. This is misguided thinking, but when outmatched by a speedy, skilled, and lightweight team, then I guess it’s what you do. As I mentioned in a previous article, this has been going on all year, and has ramped up in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s a pretty lame way to try to win a series, and rarely works unless the teams are evenly matched. Want proof? Where are the Broadstreet Bullies this season? However, that hasn’t stopped opponents from trying it again this year, and the Pens have had some significant injuries because of it.

Will the league stop cheap shots?

A lot of folks have written lately about the failure of the NHL to protect star players. Let’s face it though, hockey is a fast and dangerous sport. It is also a sport that allows fighting. Sure, fighting is a major penalty, but you don’t get kicked out of the league – or even the game – for doing it.

So if the NHL allows fighting, they probably won’t do much to stop other forms of physical intimidation. Head-targeting is a no-brainer (pun intended) exception. It was an epic failure for the league to remain silent on Ovechkin’s double slash to Crosby’s head area in Game 3. I will give Niskanen a pass because I don’t think he was targeting Crosby’s head – although not everyone agrees.

OK, so what’s a Penguin to do?

The good news here is that despite what some fans think, most teams are just trying to win a game or a series. If they could do it without maiming an opposing player they would. More importantly, if they think that tactic won’t work or might backfire, they wouldn’t even try.

More from Pens Labyrinth

So it’s pretty simple – the Pittsburgh Penguins must adhere to Coach Sullivan’s mantra to “just play.” They are a good enough team that they can beat most opponents, even with key players injured. They must continue to avoid retaliation penalties, and punish their opponents on the scoreboard. They have already won one Stanley Cup this way, and if they win another (and hand some significant teams another playoff exit), the league will learn. Coaches that refuse to learn or adapt, eventually find themselves unemployed.

Change the world one Cup at a time

It’s not a happy trail, but the one the Pens are trying to blaze is important to the league. It might just change the NHL more than any rule book ever could.

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