Justin Bourne

Recent Posts

I understand why Phoenix fans are upset that Dustin Brown didn’t get a penalty for his overtime hit on Michal Roszival last night. It could have gone either way, and hey, fans tend to see things their way. And being that the Coyotes didn’t have the benefit of immediate replay (aside from a possible neck-straining jumbotron glance), I understand why they were so upset too.

But after multiple views from multiple angles, I think not calling a penalty on the borderline play was the right decision. Here’s the video, then let’s look at the hit frame by frame.

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Today’s Backhand Shelf Podcast was mostly about last night’s Kings/Coyotes game (obviously), with a focus on how it ended. Main talking points included:

* Jonathan Quick’s performance

* Dustin Brown’s hit on Michal Roszival

* The Coyotes incredulous reaction

* The handshake line – Shane Doan’s actions in particular

* The remaining captains are all American

* Tonight’s Rangers/Devils game

* And much more.

You can listen to it here:

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Noteworthy is a feature blatantly ripped off from Trey Kerby and The Basketball Jones crew that catches you up on everything you need to know from the night before in the NHL.

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Kings/Coyotes, Kings won 4-3

Series: Kings win the series 4-1

It’s ovah: Dustin Penner scored the OT winner for the Kings, which hopefully reminded people that he’s a pretty good hockey player, not just some guy whose name shall forever be sausage-linked to pancakes. The goal, unfortunately, came 13 seconds after…

Controversy: Michal Roszival left the game after taking this contact from Kings’ captain Dustin Brown:

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I’ve heard a lot of talk about the Zach Parise-to-Travis Zajac goal today, and for the most part, Michael Del Zotto has been assigned the lion’s share of the blame. He did get flat roasted at the blueline, after all.

But the more I watch it, the more I attribute the goal to the terrific, disciplined neutral zone forecheck of the Devils (with two men up, no less!). Yes, you can beat any forecheck, and Del Zotto could have been better, but that he sat for half the game (apparently as a result) made the goal worth far more for New Jersey than just a point on the board. I’d say too much, if I were a New York Ranger.

Here’s the goal, then I’ll break down what I’m talking about with screenshots.

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Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Radko Gudas plays for the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL, who happen to be a decent hockey club. They smashed professional hockey’s longest win streak this season - once 19 - by winning 29 straight hockey games. They’re in playoffs now, and find themselves in the midst of another five game winning streak.

But this post isn’t about them.

It’s about THIS:

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Adjusted form, one would assume.

Claude Giroux spent this NHL season threatening the NHL’s scoring lead, and improving his beerability index just about every time he opened his mouth. Well, the above picture doesn’t do anything to hurt that ranking either.

Giroux just had surgery on both his wrists (one needed a bone chip removed, the other had some torn cartilage), and the season just ended, so now’s the time to get the partying out of his system. Y’know, like that other young buck that likes to have a good time, Patrick Kane.

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