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Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer wasn’t surprised by the disparity in penalties in the first four games of the Stanley Cup semi-finals.
While the series’ referees, especially Chris Lee and Dan O’Rourke, come under heavy criticism for their inconsistent level of refereeing, DeBoer does not join the angry crowd.
“All the power play / penalties narrative that comes out, I can’t believe it,” DeBoer said on Tuesday.
In the start of Game 5 against Montreal at T-Mobile Arena, the Knights posted a net penalty differential of plus-five (12-7) and posted 11 power-play advantages to six for the Canadiens.
That translated to 20:03 of power play time for the Knights in the series compared to 8:35 for Montreal.
These numbers are consistent with the identities of the two teams, according to DeBoer.
“We were one of the least penalized teams in the league during the regular season, and Montreal was one of the most important,” said DeBoer. “If there is a disparity there because they call it looser or tight, I think the disparity is the same as during the regular season. This is who we both are.
The Knights were one of the best teams in the NHL for shots on goal, placing ninth in the regular season. They took the 10th lowest number of penalties.
But the Canadians have been more disciplined than DeBoer realized, damaging his argument. Montreal was in the middle of the field in total penalties taken (14th overall).
Mind games
Robin Lehner made a key save against Canadiens rookie Cole Caufield in a breakaway in the third period of Game 4.
Caufield was seen working with Montreal goaltending director Sean Burke after morning practice Tuesday and was asked about Lehner’s comments.
“I think it’s a good thing that he’s thinking about what I’m going to do, so I’ll take this for the next game,” Caufield said. “It’s good that he’s kind of opening his mouth. You know what he’s thinking now, so I can kind of go from there and create new things to do and new things to watch.
Small screen
Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and his family are featured in a television commercial for Honda that aired throughout the playoffs.
Nick Holden saw the ad and couldn’t help but laugh at his skills on camera.
“I’m really glad he picked hockey,” Holden said with a smile. “His acting looks pretty forced.”
Contact David Schoen at [email protected] or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
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