you said it best whale. that’s the shakes, but the points just keep coming.

It’s all the uncalled cross-checks and slashes all night. McCabe goes off for interference, but the Pens player who slashed him after the whistle doesn’t get called.

Being a lawyer by trade, lets take a look at the rules (as printed at NHL.com):

60.1 High-sticking – A "high stick" is one which is carried above the height of the opponent’s shoulders. Players and goalkeepers must be in control and responsible for their stick. However, a player or goalkeeper is permitted accidental contact on an opponent if the act is committed as a normal windup or follow through of a shooting motion. A wild swing at a bouncing puck would not be considered a normal windup or follow through and any contact to an opponent above the height of the shoulders shall be penalized accordingly.

60.2 Minor Penalty – Any contact made by a stick on an opponent above the shoulders is prohibited and a minor penalty shall be imposed.

60.3 Double-minor Penalty – When a player or goalkeeper carries or holds any part of his stick above the shoulders of the opponent so that injury results, the Referee shall assess a double-minor penalty for all contact that causes an injury, whether accidental or careless, in the opinion of the Referee.

When you look at 60.3 Horton did not carry or hold his stick above the shoulders of the opponent. The biggest problem with the rule, as printed, is that the wording is terrible. The worst Horton should’ve gotten was a minor since it doesn’t exempt accidental contact – it says any contact by a stick.

Wonder if Sexton will have the guts to file a complaint with the league about the officiating? You really do have to do that occasionally, heck most of the Canadian teams have the letters pre-written seemingly.

And that 2 minutes should’ve been shared by Orpik for his hit on Horton since he did not have the puck.

The third jerseys are outstanding.

They remind me of Maine’s sweaters.

How long before players start carrying razor blades in their gloves and cutting themselves for the extra 2 minutes (ala WWE)?

As far as the high stick, I could swear that I saw almost the same thing happen in a Panthers game earlier this season (during regulation) and nothing was called, so it shouldn’t have been called in OT.

What a crappy way to lose.

How about this? Rather than complain about a call that happened in OT that WAS a penalty, regardless of whether Orpik goes off with him or not, we discuss how/why the Panthers got completely outplayed in the third. THAT’s what allowed overtime win to swing in favor of Pittsburgh.

The third period shot total was 16-3 in favor of Pittsburgh. The Penguins handed the Panthers what felt like countless PP opportunities in the first period and Florida couldn’t even cross the blue line. The Panthers went 0-for-4 on the PP for the night.

As reigning champs in the shots allowed department (and still 30th in the league this year) it shouldn’t come as any surprise to Panthers fans that Vokoun stopped 42 shots and you still only get one point. It’s not a discredit to him. If you want to see what my opinion was even before this game than I suggest you check out my preview. I mentioned the Panthers are better than their record indicates and I still stand by that even after this game.

I’m not trying to rub this in. After all, you still got a point. And I’ll even be the first to tell you that up until the third period the Pens had no right winning this game. They were outplayed in every aspect and didn’t look like they had life at all. But in the end I think rather than complain about a call that was and IS justified by the rule book you should instead look back on all the chances your team had to put this thing away early on.

The joke of the situation is that whether you want to quote chapter and verse of the NHL rulebook or not, the fact is that you will never, let me repeat that, NEVER, see the Pens go down a man for nearly the entire overtime in Mellon Arena on a call that hardly anybody saw. In fact, I would argue that the back referee looks like he was watching the play on replay and did not make the call.

I don’t disagree with the many points about how the Panthers blew the lead, how their power play is still impotent, how they give up shots on goal like communion on Sunday. But, the overriding story is the Horton penalty in overtime because it definitively decided the game. There was no way, unless Jesus H. Christ was lacing them up in the baby blue, that Florida was killing that penalty. Not a 4-on-3 for four minutes with Malkin, Crosby, Guerin, etc out there. Everybody in the rink knew it was over when four minutes went up on the board and THAT’S why Panther fans are upset, because it, in effect, decided the game.