Five bizarre moments in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The expanded stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs makes events during — and outside of — NHL games more magnified. But this second round has seen a couple interesting breaks in the action that would make headlines no matter what time of year they occurred. Here are the most bizarre highlights from Round 2 thus far.
Roman Josi Hops On The Wrong Bench
It was already a bit quirky that the Predators and Sharks notched back-to-back “too many men” penalties. But Nashville’s Roman Josi added extra comic relief to the Preds’ minor when he tried to sit on the wrong team’s bench.
In an effort to avoid the bench minor, the Nashville defenseman tried to hop off the ice. One problem: He tried hopping onto the Sharks bench.
When asked about it after the game, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer stifled a chuckle and said: “25-30 years of hockey, and I haven’t seen that situation before… I’m assuming it’s a rule that they’re not allowed to change into our bench?”
Jack Capuano Gets A Puck To The Face
Crowds are warned at least once a game to be aware of errant pucks flying through the air. Yet it still isn’t too common for a puck to fly up and hit someone just right next to the ice, let alone right behind the bench.
Tamp Bay center Alex Killorn was trying to send the puck up the ice, but his shot redirected off the Islanders’ Ryan Strome’s shin pad up into the bench area and right into Capuano’s mug. The coach instantly dropped down out of sight and was next seen being ushered off the bench with a towel hiding his entire face.
Despite having to retire to the dressing room for repairs after the scary scene, Capuano was able to return a couple minutes later and witness New York take Game 1 at Amalie Arena.
Puck Knocks Brian Elliott’s Contact Lens Out
The St. Louis Blues' starting netminder has also taken a puck to the face during this second round of postseason hockey. The shot by Dallas Star Jason Spezza not only caught Elliott right in the mask, but the hit caused one of his contacts to fall out.
Luckily, the bulk of the damage was done to the goalie mask and not Elliott’s face.
Stick Gets Stuck In Jay Beagle’s Visor And Skate
It isn’t clear what sorcery was in play during Game 1 between the Capitals and Penguins, but it turned the Washington winger into one of the most GIF-able players of Round 2.
First came the collision with Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang during the second frame that got a stick lodged in Beagle’s visor. The fluke incident was made better when Beagle tried to casually dislodge the stick mid-shift and continue playing.
Then, in the third period, Phil Kessel was called for tripping, an instance in which his stick got wedged into Beagle’s skate.
Black Cat Takes The Ice Before Sharks-Predators Game
The only star bigger than players from either team on Friday night was the mysterious black cat that ran across the ice before warm-ups started in San Jose.
The cat — a female feline now named “Jo PAW-velski” — was reportedly later retrieved by staff at the arena and taken to Humane Society Silicon Valley for a “health and wellness evaluation” — but not before she became a social media sensation and something of a good luck charm for Team Teal.
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