Will Giroux be suspended?
Devils 4, Flyers 2
Will Giroux be suspended?
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
NEWARK, N.J. -- Claude Giroux has become the Flyers’ leader, and no one questions it. He is them and they are him and that is that, at least for now.
When Giroux is the best player on the ice, they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. When he is quiet, they lose two straight games and fall behind the New Jersey Devils in the second round.
When he assists on a power play goal and persists on a shorthanded goal in the first period on Sunday night, the Flyers remain alive in a game in which they should be dead. Eventually, they were dead, by a final score of 4-2. They now trail the Devils by three games to one in the series.
But the issue has become even bigger than that, and more worrisome. Because he is them and they are him, and now there is a chance the Flyers will be without Giroux for Game 5 of the series after he was penalized at 19:56 of the second period for a head shot delivered with his shoulder against the Devils’ Dainius Zubrus.
To attempt to predict what Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s dean of discipline, might do with this is a waste of energy. All we can know for sure is that it will be scrutinized. The guess here is that there will be no suspension, and that there should be no suspension -- that the hit was deserving of a penalty and nothing more.
But who knows? And who knows what effect a suspension might have on a Flyers team that has now been outplayed in three consecutive games.
Giroux has no history of discipline issues with the league, which will work in his favor. Zubrus returned to the game and did not appear to be injured seriously -- in fact, scoring the final New Jersey goal into an empty net -- which also will work in Giroux's favor. The fact that Zubrus, who is 6-foot-5, was hit in the head by the shoulder of a player who is 5-foot-11, means that Zubrus was already bent over -- and that should work in Giroux’s favor, too. It wasn’t as if he reached up with an elbow.
But who knows?
The problem is that it is very obvious that Giroux skated a long way in anger before the hit. He was carping with the officials seconds before, furious as he skated up the ice, apparently because Devils goaltender Marty Brodeur illegally played the puck outside of the trapezoid behind the net without being whistled for a penalty.
So there is that, and there is the penalty call itself: “illegal check to head.” You do not see that one every day.
Again, it was not a clean play. But it did not seem to rise to the level of a suspension. Then again, I don’t watch suspension video for a living.
So, we will see -- as if the Flyers didn’t already have enough to worry about.
Comment removed.
37 years and counting. I wasn't even thought up yet by my parents when they last won a Cup.— Gigs1777
Embarrassing is the only word. The least talented and most boring team in the playoffs is making a joke of you. No hitting to slow them down, no game plan to off set the pressure. Surprising how this is playing out. Playing like a bunch of cowards, no fight in this team. Bryz kept it close.— delcodanno- No Way, they are toast.
— shmoo - Rich if they suspend G for that there is seriously something wrong with the NHL system....hit with shoulder, kept elbow down, didn't leave his feet....the Flyers were thoroughly outplayed, but 5 straight penalties on the Flyers?! Stick hooks along the boards were virtually ignored and allowed by officials. It has definitely been men vs boys. Reminded me of the series we used to play against the Devils back in the day that were so frustrating!— TNFlyerNut
- Who cares if he is suspended? He, like the rest of the Flyers, has packed it in. A suspension might be a good thing. It would give the Flyers an excuse to quit.— Krupotkin
- This is all you can come up with Rich?? How about analyzing the pressure forechecking the Devils are throwing at us, or why our coaching can't seem to counteract the devils "in your face" tight checking. Jagr, as good as he is, is starting to show his age throughout a long playoff series. Is Simmonds on the ice? Can't beat a team when they have twice as many shots on net. Flyers turning the puck over, can't bring it out of their end, defense is non-existent. The hole is dug, let's see if they can pull off a miracle, and get out of it. I hope Pierre chokes on a Philly cheese steak.— dogman5
- It is over...We have no answer to their forechecking. What a disgrace when a coach cant make adjustments. Giroux is playing totally undisciplined and out of control. He deserves to be suspended. If someone hit him like that we would want that player suspended for sure. All he is doing is skating in circles complaining about everything taht is happening on the ice. He is doing his best impression of Sidney I guess but its embarrasing. NO EXCUSES..has nothing to do with Youth..Refs..Ice..its simply the Devs want it more and are hungrier and thats hard to take. They have packed it in becasue its just too tough!— flyers1000
- This team has already quit so who really cares if Giroux is suspended. He probably does deserve it. The intent is clearly there as he is seen moments before yelling at a ref then goes and targets a player.
BTW I'm really tired of seeing James "Glassman" Van Reimsdyk on the bench. Trade him for Luke Schenn and a bag of pucks.— Trashcan_Man - @TNFlyerNut - I agree about being reminded of the past. What was it called? "The Jersey Trap" that was so f'n frustrating to watch but won them a Cup?— Sam Crow
- This hit was identical to the Malkin hit in the Pitt series--a penalty but not deserving of a suspension.
The question is whether all of the Flyer fans who insisted that Malkin was a dirty player will now say that Giroux is a dirty player, or whether it will be another case of home fans being blind to the abuses committed by their players.
I think we know the answer to that.— WhatWhiners - Giroux is not a dirty player...that is the only time he has ever been involved in something like that. Unlike Malkin who has a long history...punching Giroux in the head in a regular season and elbowing Grossmann in the head in the playoffs.
Not to be forgotten is James Neal, who cheapshotted two Flyer players on the same shift...and of course Aaron Asham who typifies Penguins' hockey...cheapshot to the max. - The flyers franchise is cursed. there's no doubt about it. so many playoff meltdowns, so many chokes, so much disappointment. no cups in nearly 4 decades despite them having so many good to very good teams. we are cursed folks. it's that simple. being a flyers fan since the mid 70's has been pure torture.— McNabbnotgoodenough
- Our D is Dreadful - nothing more, nothing less— Mike Boryla
- That was a dirty hit, looked like a minitaure Malkin. The NJ Devil's 3rd goal that broke the 2-2 tie may have been the poorest defense I have ever seen. Pitiful by Coburn,Timonen and whoever else was on that ice.
— joe smith
