The fire that Teemu Selanne lit under the Ducks’ collective butt appears to have been just what the doctor ordered as they beat Nashville 6-3, evening the series at 2-2 and bringing home ice advantage back to Anaheim.
It’s amazing how much the first goal has meant in this series. The team to score first has also scored second, never given up the lead and therefore won every game. Beyond facts like those the team who draws first blood has also felt in control of the game. There were moments in last night’s game where the Ducks’ grip on the game was tenuous. In the last five minutes or so of the second period, for example, the Ducks were bottled up in their own zone, tied at three and got into a little bit of penalty trouble, but came out of it with a shorthanded goal early in the third which ended up being the game winner.
Brandon McMillan acted as the bellwether for the Ducks. At times when Nashville was pressing McMillan seemed to be straining under the pressure, but he came out of it smelling like a rose with some great penalty killing, a huge play on Corey Perry’s game winner and a goal of his own.
There was some controversy in this one as well, when Jarkko Ruutu shockingly put a hit on Martin Erat that lands smack dab in the middle of rule 48’s considerable the grey area.
“Rule 48 -Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.”
What is “lateral”? What is “targeted”? Nobody knows. What we do know is that Ruutu came at Erat from an angle, but was established in front of him. It appears that the head isn’t the only point of contact but Ruutu does seem to catch Erat, who didn’t return to the game, on the chin.
The one thing Ruutu has going for him is that he didn’t raise his elbow or leave his feet, which makes it a very difficult play to figure out. However, the most important piece to this puzzle in my view is that Ruutu is the kind of player that the NHL is willing to make an example of. He bites people, he takes runs at super-stars in the olympics, he dives, he chirps and leaves his gloves on; he’s just not the kind of guy that gets the benefit of the doubt.
Joe Thornton got suspended for two games back in November for a seemingly similar hit on David Perron of the St. Louis Blues, and he is the type of player that gets the benefit of the doubt. Thornton got more head and less body but I still don’t see how Ruutu gets off with only a late call for interference on the play, unless nobody east of Anaheim and north of Nashville cares enough to make a big deal of it.
The Verdict: In the wake of the Chris Kunitz and Steve Downie suspensions, Ruutu gets one game so the NHL can almost appear as if they’re trying to be consistent on these rulings.
In the end it sucks for Nashville. The Ducks may or may not lose a player that contributes a little to the penalty kill for a game or two while the Preds may or may not lose their second leading regular season scorer with a concussion.
Also it comes at just about the worst time for Nashville. The series is getting a fresh start in Anaheim and the Ducks are getting their first line left winger back from suspension.
Was this game a rallying point for the Preds or the tipping point for the Ducks? Tune in Friday to find out.
District 5 Hockey 