Pittsburgh and New Jersey played to a 1-0 result with the home team taking the victory, but the real story from the game was Robert Bortuzzo’s late hit on Jaromir Jagr which forced Jagr to leave the game. Bortuzzo and Jagr were going at it for much of the game and it culminated with Bortuzzo’s crushing body check which was high and late.
The puck is already in the slot when Bortuzzo goes in for the kill and hits Jagr high and at his head.
Bortuzzo is a player who has decent enough skating and puck skill. Those skills were on full display on his end to end rush against Carolina which ended in a very nice goal. However, another part of Bortuzzo’s game is running around and chasing big hits. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, most times it is reckless.
When you combine the fact Bortuzzo and Jagr had it out for one another and the distance Bortuzzo came from to lay the hit you get the end result we saw. There was motivation and opportunity.
The Department of Player Safety is a joke and that is why we still see these plays. There will be a hearing for Bortuzzo for this incident but the only reason there is a hearing is because Jagr was hurt. The league still uses injury as their number one variable in how they assess punishment. Johnny Boychuk’s knee on Evgeni Malkin is a prime example of this. Malkin got up, so no hearing. Laughable.
Coach DeBoer is right. The Penguins and their fans would be up in arms about it. Just because the guy laying the hit in this circumstance happens to wear the colors of the team you cheer for doesn’t make it any different.
Here is the problem though. It shouldn’t matter if Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, or Zach Sill is on the other end of a hit like that. It should be punished all the same, injury or not. Star power and injury all too often have a hand in the Department of Player Safety’s random justice system.
If Jagr gets up nothing happens and you wonder why players still take the chance when delivering questionable hits. Bortuzzo took the chance that Jagr would get up, he didn't and now he has a hearing.
Hits like that also put a huge target on your own guys. Evgeni Malkin was clearly targeted for the rest of the game. The league has outsourced its justice system to the players for decades, it doesn’t work.
"I wish I would have been (on the ice) at that moment because there would have been gloves flying," Tootoo said.
"When you're a player that's going to run around and do s— like that (to) our best players, it's my job to take action," he said. "I'm not going to forget what number (41) he is … It's a long season."
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Quotes courtesy of Sean Gentille of Sporting News*
That is a reactionary measure, not a deterrent. Much like how Shawn Thornton's presence did nothing to stop Brooks Orpik from running over Louis Eriksson or James Neal using Brad Marchand's head as a soccer ball. Shawn Thornton's gutless attack on Orpik didn't change what had happened and does nothing to impact the future. It is just absurd violence for the sake of violence. The league just sits back and watches instead of taking action. One game suspension here, two game suspension there, whatever.
You just have a never ending circle of players taking liberties on other players. Around and around we go. Time for the league to grow some balls and hit players with big suspensions that hit them where it hurts most, their pocketbook.
*****
Marc-Andre Fleury turned all shots aside for his league leading fifth shutout of the season.
Goaltending has been a plus for the Penguins so far this season
I thought the Penguins three centers did a pretty decent job considering how depleted the depth chart was last night. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Brandon Sutter all brought it in their own ways. Each played to their strengths and shined as a result. Sid skated through the neutral zone like he was shot out of a cannon, Malkin was puttin’ on the ritz but with an edge, and Brandon Sutter was consistently engaged physically while combining it with his speed as well. The play of those three is what can buy time for Jim Rutherford to make the best deal instead of making a panic deal.
Jayson Megna showed more ability last night than Nick Spaling has this entire season. I’m not making the case for Jayson Megna to be a top six winger, I am making the case that he should be no worse than a fourth liner on this current team. His speed was on full display last night and he is also capable of making some actual hockey plays unlike some other unnamed bottom six forwards on the team. I thought Megna was pressing in his first few games, he looked more natural last night. I have to think that his 800k cap hit was what kept him down so far this year with Pittsburgh right at the cap ceiling. With Dupuis out and some cap space to spare he should not be sent down.
Chris Kunitz has a minor fracture in his foot and will miss a few weeks. What's another injury at this point right?
The Penguins as a whole did not play particularly well last night
Scott Gomez did just fine in his season debut. He and Jagr did quite well before the big hit.
Anybody doubting Christian Ehrhoff’s ability anymore?
Speaking of Ehrhoff, his former team comes into town on Thursday night for a rare treat. I always enjoy the Western Conference matchups against teams the Penguins rarely play. We’ll see what the Sedins, Ryan Miller, and the rest of the Canucks have in store for the Penguins.
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