DarkKnight08

"When will the Bruins return to the Glory Days?"

Bridgeport, CT • United States • 41 Years Old • Male

Lindy get's a little RUFF on the refs...

Obviously I'm ecstatic over my B's and their 3-1 lead in the series. I think if Boston wasted the comeback last night and let the Sabres leave Boston even. It would be huge advantage Sabres!
Now Boston holds the cards and the pressure is on Miller and company. With that said I think Lindy Ruff realized this and let his frustrations boil over last night.

To complain about calls and referees is a last ditch attempt in my eyes. He's avoiding the real problems. At this point with the series so tight...the difference is kill or be killed. As far as power plays are concerned. This is extremely evident in the Vancouver- LA series. Boston went 2-6 last night and it won them the game! Early in the game and the series Buffalo was able to build momentum off of squandered PP chances by Boston. I think Boston's penalty killing has Buffalo on thier heals. They have been extremely aggressive since the Carolina game and everyone is fearful of another 3 goal penalty kill!

I'm no angel when it comes to critiquing the refs, they're always going to miss something. The game is too fast and the spend so much time trying to stay out of the way, they sometimes get out of position to make the appropriate call!

In Ruff's case to bring up the Recchi hit on Kennedy from game 2 is silly. We all agree that it was a great hit. The puck was there, he shouldered him off and Kennedy went down towards the goal area. The hit on Lucic last night wasn't so much a penalty as was Looch's trajectory towards the boards. He went down towards them head first.

The league won't tolerate that, and while Lucic may have exxagerated that, I feel he is owed that call as most of this series he has been played outside the rules by Buffalo and much hasn't been called in his favor based on reputation. I feel he has shown his maturity this playoff. He's held back and played hard and disciplined hockey for his team.
The other call that bothered Ruff was the goalie interference call on McCormick. He felt it was Hunwick who really interfered with Rask and he maybe right. Before the call...I thought McCormick was going for a high stick not goalie interference. If you see the replay he face washed Hunwick with his stick. So I take that call as a wash because there was at least one infraction on the play by a Sabre!

The too many men call has to be made. This wasn't a jump on jump off issue. The six players were well in the play. That is an unofficial power play for Buffalo and it has to be called.
Bottom line is kill the penalties and nobody talks about this. Boston has Buffalo hasn't and that's the difference in this tightly contested series.
Gary Greene on the NHL Network said that " Don Cherry must be happy, Boston finally got a too many men call in a playoff game in their favor".

To me that's an amazing irony that ties all this together, because in closing I think Ruff's comments are just....SOUR GRAPES!!!

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