The real shocker came late in the game when Joffrey Lupul and John Tavares were fighting for a loose puck. Lupul ended up sending Tavares crashing to the ice after a crosscheck to his face. Tavares was angry at the play, but not as angry as he would be after the officials, (David Banfield and Don VanMassenhoven) called him for diving. The diving penalty would also negate a warranted man up advantage for the Islanders. I would say it’s a stretch for a player to be truly crosschecked in the face, to then decide to sell the infraction by embellishing it with a dive. Tavares’ mentor and Isles assistant coach, Doug Weight showed his displeasure with the call.
It seems that the Islanders have had penalties called against them on a sliding scale by NHL referees, seemingly not able to catch a break on most nights. The infractions committed against them on some nights that end up being not called seem far too numerous as well. The reaction by the team might be that they disagreed with the call at the time and that the officials have a tough job while others have the benefit of replay. That may be true, but you only have to watch some of these repeatedly blown calls and wonder when these officials will be held accountable. You would never want to blame a penalty for a loss, but the wrong type of call can change momentum and result in an unfair advantage to the opponent and possibly result in a loss of manpower (Game Misconduct). When they happen frequently, a player’s or a team’s patience would tend to wear out.
The Islanders need to refocus when the face their rival New York Rangers tomorrow at MSG for the second time in five days.
Something has got to give.
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