You can bet money on this tonight: if someone from the Bruins challenges Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang to a fight, the defenseman will have his sweater tied down properly.
Unfortunately for Letang and the Penguins, that wasn’t the case last night in New Jersey.
With Letang, a Norris Trophy candidate this season, ejected early in the game because an unlikely fight with Travis Zajac revealed he didn’t have his sweater tied properly , the Penguins couldn’t muster enough effort to prevent losing to the Devils, 2-1, in overtime.
The Penguins, who canceled their morning skate today, will take on the Bruins at TD Garden at 7 p.m.
Letang’s fight strap was just the latest tie to baffle the Sidney Crosby-less, Evgeni Malkin-less Penguins, who have now lost four times in their last seven games in a shootout or overtime. Without two of their stars and missing a solid cast of supporting players — including Brooks Orpik and Chris Kunitz — the Penguins have obviously been playing a more workman-like brand of hockey just to earn those single standings points. And they’ve hung in there (they’re in fourth in the Eastern Conference and just four back of Philadelphia for first place), which is all the more reason the Bruins cannot take tonight lightly.
The Penguins might even get a little healthy, with Kunitz apparently ready to return, tonight. Marc-Andre Fleury took the night off in New Jersey, so the Pens should have their No. 1 man in between the pipes. The Bruins’ seven-game winning streak is in for a stiff test.
Letang is a great talent. Pens are playing tough hockey and the B’s better not take them lightly. I am taking the GF tonight so will be doing a lot of ‘splainin about the rules… sorry to the fans next to me…
amazing pens have as many points as they do. is it true cooke is wearing an ‘a’? mario’s such hypocrite if that’s the case. i would love to see that pos get a taste of his own medicine on garden ice.
John- in the early 90′s fighters would take off their jersey for greater mobility and to prevent giving the opponent anything to grab on to. The NHL didn’t like the image of two fighters stripped down to their undershirts scrapping at center ice. In 96-97 they introduced the Rob Ray rule.
Rule 47.13 Jerseys … A player or goalkeeper who engages in a fight and whose jersey is not properly “tied-down” (jersey properly fastened to pants), and who loses his jersey (completely off his torso) in that altercation, shall receive a game misconduct penalty. If the player or goalkeeper loses his jersey despite the tie down remaining in tact and attached to the pants, the game misconduct is not applicable, however this must be reported to the League office so that the jersey and the tie down can be examined.
How much would Bs fans be in love with Letang if he ever switched Jerseys (and fastened them properly)?!
the Pens are a first class organization except for that bum matt cook
Losing Letang for five minutes is bad enough. The rest of the game hurts. I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves. I love watching the guy play.
I watched this Pens/Devils game last night. Guess I don’t know my hockey rules! Why is a player ejected from a game for not tying down his sweater? I’m sure there are other players who haven’t aways done this, but they don’t get caught. Thanks for clarifying