Haggerty With Toucher & Rich: Caps Are 'Poking The Bear'
After two tightly played games by the Bruins and Capitals, things really opened up offensively Monday night in Washington. The Bruins and Capitals went toe-to-toe in Game 3, with Boston coming out on top 4-3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
CSNNE's Joe Haggerty spoke with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich about all the penalties in the game (there were 16 of them), some possible flopping by Brad Marchand, and using hatred as fuel.
Kalman: Seidenberg Makes Early Case For Conn Smythe
Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom received a match penalty after he crosschecked Rich Peverley in the face after the final horn sounded. What's the feeling around the press room? Will Backstrom receiver the game-suspension that goes with the penalty, or will Brendan Shanahan let him off the hook?
"I think if you look at the evidence -- if you look at what's going on -- I think it definitely should stand for this reason: that's the third time that a Bruins' player has gotten crosschecked to the face in the series, or had a stick to the face in the series from a Washington Capitals player, and it's a habit that's growing."
Read: Marchand Not Happy With Chimera's 'Cheap Shot'
The first two games of the series were relatively quiet and mostly controlled by the Capitals. But Game 3 was much different. The Bruins and Caps started playing a little bit more of a physical game and racked up 40 minutes of penalty time combined.
"People ask the question why are the Caps getting involved with the Bruins; why are they doing these things, why are they playing into their hands by 'poking the bear' so to speak, and I think it's just because the Bruins force that on you in that kind of series. They're going to make it happen one way or the other."
Read: Lucic: 'I'm Not A Crybaby"
Plus, find out which Washington Capitals player was waiting by the Bruins bus to apologize to Brad Marchand.
