Brooks Orpik of the Washington Capitals found out that hockey players still have to follow the rules of the NHL. Sadly, this came the hard way, as he was suspended for three games after a hit on Olli Maatta of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A late hit can be dangerous in and of itself, but a late hit to the head? All the more concerning for the NHL Department of Player Safety. A late hit is usually considered a half of a second after the whistle blows; however, this hit was way more than a second.
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The hit, which was called an interference penalty, happened early in the game, and the referees should have done more. A “typical” call probably would have been a five-minute major for the illegal hit, or however the referees would have phrased it, as well as a game-misconduct for the hit.
The hit was straight at the head. While Orpik is not considered a dirty player by most people, and there was most likely no intention to injure Maatta. However, if Maatta had been taken out for the period, or maybe two, the suspension may not have been as harsh. But since Maatta missed the third game, and could possibly miss more, the suspension came in an intense way. The NHL Players’ Safety most likely is pushing for more suspensions like this, just to prevent this upper-body and head injuries that sometimes lead to lawsuits.
Not the First Time
This is not the first time the Capitals have been found of dirty play during the playoffs either. Not as many people may have realized it because no suspension was given out. Tom Wilson was fined $2,403.67 for kneeing Conor Sheary while he was traveling off-ice.
The incident only ended in a fine, because of the lack of injury from the knee. Sheary only left the game for a little bit. It still was a disappointing performance from Sheary that night, as he had no points, two shots, and ended with a -3 Rating.
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The Impact of Orpik
Although Orpik is not a huge loss to the Capitals’ offense, they are losing a solid blue-liner and grinding defensive defenseman which helped Braden Holtby in the crease. If they keep facing a strong goaltender like Matt Murray, they need to make sure they do not let in goals that end up in losses.
While the Capitals still have strong defense from John Carlson (3 G, 6A, 9 P) and Matt Niskanen (0 G, 3 A, 3 P), you cannot shuffle defense around too much when you are down in a seven game series like this and the run to the Stanley Cup is on the line.
To some, three games may not seem like the end of the world, at least that is the case in the regular season. However, with the Lord Stanley’s Cup at stake, losing players becomes so much more critical.
If this series were to end in five games with a Capitals victory, Orpik may be in luck since he will be eligible to return for the Eastern Conference Finals. However, he could also be a scapegoat if the Penguins are victorious after five, and the Capitals will be sent to the golf courses early.
If the series extends to six or seven games, Orpik will be back on the ice, hoping to get the series win for his team.
The Impact of Maatta
While losing Orpik will hurt the Capitals defense, losing Maatta will hurt the Penguins defense as well. He did not have any points either, but he is a solid enforcer as well. He missed Games 3 and 4 and is considered day-to-day. As of the morning of May 2, he has what is classified as an “upper-body injury,” which we all know is code for concussion or a tough rib injury. The injury and suspension will most likely cancel each other out, and the series will go on as “normal” as any playoff series can go.
The Penguins, even without Maatta, can come back and win this series. Similar to teams motivated by a player who has been viciously injured (like the Louisville Cardinals for Kevin Ware), the Penguins can play for Maatta and take their aggression out on the Capitals to win the series in their journey to the Eastern Conference Finals.