It's all over the post-game coverage anyway, but I'm trying to remember the last time I saw a team have a penalty meltdown like the Canucks did against the Blackhawks Friday.
I caught that game on DVR-delay with my brother, and we were giggling at Alexandre (Tool) Burrows' faux-innocent expression after he piled on Dustin Byfuglien. Daniel Sedin breaking his fragile one-piece stick with a mild crosscheck over Kris Versteeg's shoulder was another great scene of red-handed guilt. Alain Vigneault's damning post-game comments almost rival Terry Murray's "choking situation" from Flyers playoffs of yesteryear -- though I doubt they will be treated with the same outrage.
I couldn't tell if Roberto Luongo was more bummed by the goals going by him or by the fragile psyche on display by most of his teammates, but suffice to say Luongo did not look happy.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had a phrase for this type of thing.
Isles Bits
- As expected, the Islanders 1975 stories keep coming. Here's a good one from Richard Hofmann, a Long Island native who's now a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
- Nick takes on Al D'Amato's rather conflicted interests after the ex-senator's {cough} op/ed supporting the casino plan. The photo alone is quality.
- Per Hans und Franz' FanShot, Scott Munroe has signed with Nizhk- ... Kazkhim-... um, a KHL team.
- A reporter throws a bone for your Martin Biron-to-Buffalo theories. [Buffalo News, The Fourth Period]
- Don't know if I posted this already, but here is another local story on Calvin de Haan inking an entry-level deal.
- Someone calls Butch Goring the 6th-greatest Los Angeles King of all time. "Hey, they can't do that to our pledges. Only WE can do that to our pledges!"
- So: Anyone dreaming a little more of helping Chicago with its cap problem by taking Byfuglien off their hands after his last two games? Caveat being whether he can do that for a whole season and not just when facing the Canucks in May.
Tonight's lineup: Montreal at Pittsburgh (2-2, 7 p.m., Versus/CBC/RDS) and Detroit at San Jose (1-3, 10 p.m., Versus/CBC/RDS). I'm going with the home team in both. But believe it or not, I'll miss it all to chaparone a prom tonight. Make room for the Holy Ghost, kids.