Prior to the 2010 Staley Cup playoffs, the NHL stressed that it would buckle down on goalie interference and antics like those pulled by Rangers pest Sean Avery on Devils goalie Martin Brodeur two seasons ago.
The playoffs tend to bring more crash-and-bang style and traffic in the crease, and with defensemen limited under the rules in their abilities to clear bodies out in front, it can make for difficult and long nights between the pipes.
But through the first round and now the second, that hasn’t been the case.
Just before Flyers forward Mike Richards beat Tuukka Rask for a third-period, power-play goal in Game 1, his linemate Scott Hartnell, who assisted on the goal, dumped Rask on his behind in the crease. As Rask got back up on his skates, the play had already developed in front of him and Richards buried the puck behind him.
While Bruins head coach Claude Julien referenced the play when asked what he has thought about the supposed crackdown that hasn’t really been in effect so far, he also pointed out that it has gone both ways and has been league-wide. As a result, it’s on the players to adapt and hopefully the referees to do their jobs.
"Our style hasn’t changed," Julien said when asked if the Bruins maybe have to do more to protect Rask. "I think what has to happen is you got to rely on the referees to do their job and if there’s goalie interference, you rely on them to call it. I don’t think you necessarily have to take matters in your hands and start doing something that you haven’t done all year.
"There was a questionable one last game that we thought should’ve been called, but its part of the game," he added. "It happens and there’s calls that are called that you question and there’s calls that aren’t called that you question. That’s part of the game. It works both ways, so it’s important to just focus on our game. Let those guys do their job and hope that they do it well. They’re like everybody else, we make mistakes in the game and they make some. But they shouldn’t be the ones that we point at as far as why we won or lost.”
Rask, for his part, has seen no significant instances where he felt his space was overly violated. He does his best to keep an open dialogue with the referees and let them know if and when that happens.
"You have more guys crashing the net, but that’s playoff hockey," Rask said. "I see it during the regular season and maybe because more people are watching [in the playoffs[, it seems like more now, but I’m ready either way. I talk to the refs and they’re trying their hardest. I have my D-men too doing a great job."
What about Hartnell’s bump that appeared to have an effect on the Richards goal?
"Part of the game man," he said. "I can’t just sit here and complain, you just move on. I will get my job done one way or the other."
