Finding a way to get an edge in the playoffs can be tricky. Finding ways to take heat off your team after a tough loss or if they’re struggling in the series can get really creative. While Caps coach Bruce Boudreau decided to go after Madison Square Garden earlier today to get some of the heat off the Caps, Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray found a more direct way to vent his thoughts and take the heat off his team.
With the Ducks are down 2-1 in their series with Nashville and Murray feels that the Predators are getting a bit too much of the benefit of the calls and he’s got a fascinating solution for his team. Rather than have coach Randy Carlyle work more on the team’s penalty kill, he’s saying that the Ducks should be diving more to get the calls. After a pair of calls in Game 3 that went against the Ducks thanks to a high stick by Brad Winchester on Jerred Smithson and a hooking call on Saku Koivu against Jonathon Blum, Murray’s had enough.
Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register gets the word from Murray about how the Ducks should be taking more nods from Hollywood in how to win games.“It’s become a tactic,” he told the Register, speaking at the team’s hotel. ”I’ve watched enough. First things first. We have to have less passengers. We have too many passengers right now. But when you’re playing a game and [there’s] a constant stream to the penalty box because these guys are diving left and right … we have to start diving.
“I’d never thought I’d say this to my hockey team. We’ve got to start diving because it’s working. It is working. They’re getting power plays because of the diving. I can go through the list of players. You already know who they are. You’ve seen them. It’s ridiculous.”
Well this is a curious tactic, especially coming from the GM of one of the league’s most penalized teams. Anaheim was the fifth most penalized team in the NHL this season and it’s a designation they’ve held for the last few seasons. Last year they were third most and two seasons ago they were the second most penalized team in the league.
That’s not to say that the calls Murray is taking umbrage with aren’t worthy of scrutiny, it’s just that he has to be careful when filing his complaints because the Ducks certainly do enough on the ice to warrant action. Seeing a coach lobby for more calls to be made against the opponent is nothing new, just that saying your team has to do more objectionable stuff to get the calls you want is a curious way to go about it.
We’ll find out how well this campaign for and against embellishment goes soon enough as Game 4 between these two comes up on Wednesday night. The less calls that are made might not be too helpful for Anaheim as their power play has done well against Nashville. Turning things into a slugfest might not work out too well for them either.