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LAK 4, CAR 3 — Postgame Bullets:

  • The late, blindside headshot by Erik Cole on Drew Doughty deserves a suspension. Although I haven’t done a head-to-head comparison, the Cole hit (in my memory) was much later than the Shane Doan hit (in my memory). The argument that it was not “intent to injure” is not persuasive. It was an intent to hit a guy who didn’t have the puck, who wasn’t looking, in the shoulder, neck and/or head. This was against the rules even before the new blindside head-shot rule (e.g. charging), but it’s double-plus against the rules now. Doan got three games. Give Cole five.
  • Whether Doughty’s injury will be season-altering or just a minor annoyance for a couple of days (or somewhere in between) will come down essentially to luck. Why does Cole think he can take a run at Doughty? I don’t need Kevin Westgarth lurching around the rink hunting down Cole. But where were Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford, Jack Johnson or Willie Mitchell, to pick five names out of a hat? Okay, maybe you don’t want Mitchell concussing himself in retribution for Doughty getting concussed, but the other guys…don’t they understand that doing nothing is just an invitation for teams to take liberties? It’s not like Drew Doughty isn’t the f***ing hub of the franchise’s future for the next 15 years.
  • You can’t blame your goalie for goals scored on out-numbered attacks, breakaways or deflections. The first two are scoring chances that simply must not happen. And there’s a reason teams spend so much time trying to redirect pucks and screen goalies. Same reason pitchers throw sliders.
  • Dustin Brown has three goals and two assists so far this year. One of the assists has slipped my mind. The other four points, Brown had control of the puck for less than a second. Total. A tip. A one-timed wrister. A snap. The assist last night he never touched the puck. All three goals he was planted at the top of the crease. And none involved so much as a single stick handle. Let that be the lesson of the day: give puck to Kopitar, go stand in the crease, repeat.
  • Loktionov deflected Staal‘s pass to Kopitar. That was his assist. Brown started the play with the check on Gleason. The puck went to Staal. Loktionov jammed him up. Puck to Kopi. Goal.
  • Jonathan Bernier save on breakaway in the third.
    • Meant to do that.
    • Oh, and when you’re protecting a one goal lead, one third-period offensive zone penalty is bad. Two is worse.
    • UPDATE: forgot to mention, did I hear the sound of a wooden stick on the ice last night? Anyone else hear that? Someone got their stick knocked out of their hands. Sounded like wood. I didn’t think anyone used wood anymore besides Palffy and Stumpel.

Talking Points