Penguins Take Game 1, 5-4 Over Rangers

As I sat in my chair watching the final seconds tick off the clock, I thought to myself - if you're a Pittsburgh fan, you're really happy with the outcome of game 1. Regardless of the 3 bankshot goals to the Rangers' 1.

The Jarkko Rutuu goal off of Mike Rosival's skate/shinpad started the Penguins comeback from a 3-0 deficit that the Rangers had built up on goals by Straka (bankshot), a Drury deflection, and an Avery wrist shot. If you're a Rangers fan, you're not very happy about blowing a 3 goal lead (This is the playoffs afterall) due to the sloppy defensive play.

However, in this game there were some very dubious calls in the Penguins favor ... was that Sid the Kid, or Sid the Flopper? Publicly, Crosby claims that's he's not a flopper - there was no evidence of that tonight. He flopped not once, but twice. He knows that, the fans know it, and the players know it. I personally expect more out of him, but if the NHL doesn't care, why should he? In the end, the Penguins got the job done tonight! The Rangers blew a huge lead and game - this could be the one that hurts them in the end.

One last thought, when the NHL powers that be reacted hastily over Sean Avery's antics with Marty Brodueur, they took a rule that existed - bent it & twisted it in order for that never to happen again. So, what happens tonight? Jarkko Rutuu puts the blade of his stick in Rosival's face before a faceoff for what seemed to be around 10 seconds. What does the referee do? Nothing. No penalty, just a simple friendly warning. There was no call for unsportsmanlike conduct, which clearly was the case. This eventually led to Rutuu's game-changing goal as it was that same shift that he scored to start the Penguins rally. To think, he should of been serving that time in the penalty box. Hypocrisy at it's best. Nice job NHL!