PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Sidney Crosby said he was not cleared for Game 6. It was one of a number of storylines from the Pens losing to the Rangers after holding a 3-1 series lead. Here is a look at what the team said about a few other key moments of their short playoff run.
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The Brock McGinn penalty that created the power play, leading to the series-ending goal.
“It’s a tough break,” McGinn said Tuesday. “That’s something I will have to live with. It’s a tough bounce. I just have to get the puck in there and not turn it over and let that happen.”
Marcus Pettersson having his helmet ripped off by Alexis Lafreniere in the third period of Game 7. Pettersson would have to either quickly put his helmet back on or leave the ice per NHL rule. The defenseman headed for the bench, in the confusion that followed, Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal.
“I can’t say if it was intentional or not, he was falling,” Pettersson said. “The rule is I probably could have put it on again. In the heat of the moment, I tried to get to the bench and get a change. It was an unfortunate play.”
Evan Rodrigues taking a roughing penalty with the Pens up 2-0 in the second period of Game 6. Rodrigues reacting to a non-boarding call and even head coach Mike Sullivan said he can’t take that penalty.
“I thought it was a clean play,” Rodrigues said Tuesday. “I get hit. I get up, the guy plays the puck & I finish my hit.”
“I think there has been a lot of comments on it. I think if you take away me getting hit beforehand, I think you see that hit maybe 50 times in the entire series. It’s a physical game. It’s the playoffs, everyone is finishing checks. It’s unfortunate that it played out the way it did. I think my entire career I’ve been a pretty disciplined player. My track record penalty-wise shows that. It’s unfortunate the way it played out. I think it was a pretty clean play.”
Goalie Casey DeSmith leaving with an injury in overtime of Game 1. Tristan Jarry already out, the Pens had to turn to third-string goalie Louis Domingue until Jarry played as best as he could fighting back from a broken foot.
“I had been dealing with a little bit of a groin issue for a month and a half,” DeSmith said. “I think it was just the nature of double overtime and fatigue. I made a movement and I felt my whole hip and groin just kind of all go at once. It was a pretty easy decision to pull myself out of the game considering I really couldn’t move or go down. I knew it was pretty done for me at that point.”
Defenseman Brian Dumoulin out since Game 1 with an injury. The injury also impacted the top pairing as Kris Letang had to move with Mike Matheson and Mark Friedman called into action.
“I had a Grade 3 tear of his MCL,” Dumoulin said. “It happened on that disallowed goal when I slid into the net, my knee hit the post and hyperextended. It felt like you don’t have support in your knee. You don’t have any pop or power.”
“That’s what you play the regular seasons for to put yourself to play in the postseason. It’s difficult having no control in the game, watching the ups-and-downs of the game and not being able to have a voice in the room.”