There's no question that the temperature went up a couple of degrees after Game 2 between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings because of what happened between Chris Osgood and Mike Ribeiro at the end of the game.
Now there's going to be a big brouhaha about it, with people saying you can't swing your stick at a goaltender the way Ribeiro did. But everyone should just calm down for a moment.
First off, Osgood gave a little butt end - a sneaky butt end - to Ribeiro as he skated by him. Ribeiro was mad and frustrated as he came back with a pretty vicious-looking shot. And that chop landed in the middle of Osgood's chest protector.
Are you telling me that a guy could stop a 90 or 100-mile-an-hour slap shot with that chest protector, but a little jab in the same spot knocks him down to the ice? Personally, I think it's much ado about nothing.
Now there's no argument that it was an attempted slash by Ribeiro, but it was also an attempted butt end by Osgood that could have hit Ribeiro in the face. At the end of the day, if you're going to suspend somebody, I think they should suspend both players here. And based on the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I'm not holding my breath for suspensions because stranger things have happened.
Pittsburgh's other stars
I think Evgeni Malkin's star is shining so brightly these days, a lot of people are forgetting the players that play with him and make him look so good.
Start with his linemates Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora.
Malone has really developed and come into his own as a hockey player. This is a guy that for the last couple of years, has had more trade rumours about him then just about any other Pittsburgh Penguin. He's got a much greater commitment to conditioning now and he's doing everything - dropping the gloves, hitting, making plays, scoring goals and just generally looking good alongside Malkin.
The same thing goes for Sykora. I don't know if there was a better free agent signing or a higher impact free agent signing last summer than him. He's developed great chemistry with Malkin. It's one thing for the Hart Trophy candidate to make these beautiful passes, but it's another thing for somebody to be able to finish them the way that Sykora finishes them.
Whether it's on the forehand, backhand or coming in from the off-wing, he's been dangerous.