There was no love lost between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks this afternoon in their rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final that ended in a 4-3 win for the visitors. The opening four minutes of the game featured 40 minutes in penalties, a line brawl and a potential suspension coming for Milan Lucic.
First, here's the Bruins and Canucks exchanging pleasantries:
Lucic was given two minutes for roughing and a 10-minute game misconduct for leaving the bench. What's still to be determined is whether or not Lucic leaving the bench would be considered a legal or illegal line change.
Via Mike Halford of PHT, here's Lucic right as the scrum was beginning along the boards:
According to ESPN's Joe MacDonald, the officials will confer after the game and figure out how they'll interpret Rule 70 in terms of whether or not Lucic has a suspension coming his way.
The rule states a 10-game suspension is for the first coming onto the ice for the "purpose of starting an altercation". However you determine whether or not Lucic left the bench, the scrum was already involved and Lucic skates in. Seems like, if anything, Lucic will get a fine like Steve Downie did against the New York Rangers last month.
Also of note: Henrik Sedin gets involved in the scrum for about a second and you can count six Vancouver players involved before the Canucks' captain skates off the ice realizing there's way too many guys in white out there.
But Lucic wasn't the only potential video Brendan Shanahan will review this weekend.
Late in the second period, Brad Marchand upended Sami Salo with a hipcheck that drew a five-minute major for clipping and a game misconduct. Marchand came in low. Very, very low:
The Salo left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return.
Marchand was suspended last March for two games for a hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger and fined last month for a slew-foot on Matt Niskanen of the Pittsburgh Penguins, so he's in the NHL's system and would be considered a repeat offender should supplemental discipline be coming his way.
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
UPDATE: The NHL has rescinded Lucic's game misconduct:
The Game Misconduct penalty assessed to Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic during NHL Game #598 this afternoon in Boston has been rescinded, National Hockey League Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating Terry Gregson announced today.
Lucic was assessed a Game Misconduct 3:54 into the first period for violating National Hockey League Rule 70.1 — Leaving the Bench. However, a video review of the incident revealed that Lucic did not leave the bench to join or start an altercation but rather had entered the ice legally over the boards and was about to step back onto the bench through the door when he changed course and joined a scrum.
"The referees reacted to what they saw," Gregson said. "The only player they saw coming from the bench area from either team was Lucic. But with the benefit of replay, we can see that Lucic had previously entered the ice over the boards legally to join the play and actually was contemplating stepping back onto the bench through the door when the
altercation ensued."It should be further noted that a review of the video confirmed that all players on both teams involved in the altercation had entered the ice legally for the purpose of joining the play. None entered the ice for the purpose of joining or starting an altercation, which is prohibited by Rule 70."