Dr Paul - You could see this coming once the no suspension decision was issued. With that said, the Bs recent history of giving up early and late period goals continues to haunt them. Must take care of the home ice Monday and Wed.

I am shocked that he didn't get a game....I've been very impressed with the way the B's have contained Vancouver's speed, but they have paid foe seemingly every breakdown or turnover. Tonight's game is the series.

That was a brutal chicken **** hit.

Best B's effort since the days of Robert Gordon......

Can they possibly play like this for 3 more wins? Who the hell is this team in front of Smith tonight? Cheap shot on Horton changed the whole damn game!
Wednesday will be interesting....

Very impressive performance by the Bruins. I think weathering the storm in the first period after getting nothing on the 5 minute power play changed the game. Luongo has a habit of letting games like this get in his head, so it will be interesting if the B's can take advantage.

Good old-fashion a$$ kickin last nite. Loved the energy lwhich again will be needed in Game 4. Expect Horton will be out for a game or two, maybe remainder of series which will be a big loss for the Bs, but will hopefully serve as a rallying point as it did last nite.

Those timing hits can be vicious when mis-timed. Aaron Rome needs to take a lesson from someone like Nik Kronwall on how to plaster a guy legally. There was absolutely nothing legal about that hit. Horton had passed the puck about two seconds earlier. Rome should get games for that nonsense.

You got to figure that he's going to get at least 2 games for the cheap hit.

Especially since he's a repeat offender. I'd say it's possible he might not play the rest of the playoffs.

Rome gets four. I'd say five would have been more appropriate. Still, he's getting some Darren McCarty-Claude Lemieux treatment when these guys meet in the regular season next year.

Really he get 4 plus whatever Horton has to miss.

Good point, there are only four games left in the finals. Appropriate punishment, IMO.

I think that should be the rule for the regular season too. It's an eye for an eye type deal.
If someone should deliver a blatent cheap shot (regardless of blind side hit, slash, high stick, etc....). The offender should sit out for as long as the injured party is out plus whatever suspension is handed out.

Obviously we are talking about match penalty type hits (which really don't occur too many times a season).

That was a ridiculous and unnecessary hit and it looks like it woke the Bruins up.

It's not an equal sanction at all....the Bruins lose a first line forward who is far more valuable than this goon who is replaceable by any defenseman Vancouver
has.

They should take a roster spot from Vancouver so they dress one less guy to make it close to fair.....

Or....take out Burrows or a Sedin

Both Sedins and Kesler were targeted in some form or fashion last night after the Horton hit. I wouldn't say Rome has had a reputation as a "goon" in the same way Matt Cooke has, but he's earned his fair share of game misconducts in the past, so a lengthier suspension was probably not out of the question.

I think keeping him out the remainder of the final is an appropriate suspension. It is hard to suspend someone for the duration of another player's injury because what do you do if he comes back and then goes out again with recurrent symptoms?
That being said, players need to respect each other. While you are always taught to keep your head up, especially in high traffic areas, nobody expects to get hit 3 seconds after you get rid of the puck. I'm not sure what Mike Murphy was thinking when he said Rome was suspended for the lateness of the hit, that it would have been legal if delivered earlier. If that's a legal hit, the why have Rule 48 (head shot rule) on the books at all.. Finally, Rome has to understand that now his team's top players will now be targets. Just a stupid play all around.

In this case the 4 games worked out well because it guarantees that Rome is done for the series. I really believe that if Horton wasn't hurt, then Rome would have only gotten 2 games. In this day and age, I'm not sure how many guys are able to rush back from head injuries.

Rome looked like he left his feet, so that is definitely not a legal hit in any way.

Not sure about the watching their back thing. The ultimate payback for the B's would be taking home the Cup. They can't get wrapped up in payback and take stupid penalties in the process. The other night was a perfect opportunity for a little redemption with the game out of hand. But going forward their sole focus should be on the Cup and the rest will eventually take care of itself.

That's absolutely a legal hit if Horton still has the puck, IMO. Even legal if Horton was in the process of dishing the puck. Definitely not legal three seconds after the puck leaves his possession. Then again, he's probably not in such a prone position if he did have the puck in his possession, so part of the injury surely had something to do with the lateness of the hit.

Seriously though, big hits are a part of hockey, and should be, but absolutely not when a guy is far removed from the play. A timing hit like that is typically legal, but also very difficult to pull off for a defender. Like I said the other day, Rome should ask a big, legal hitter like Nik Kronwall how one is supposed to make an explosive check whilst a man still has the puck. Here are a couple good examples of how a similar play can be legal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfX5BwDKjq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf-HK776GHA&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL94Y...eature=related

P.S. - I think there's a big difference between leaving one's feet to make a hit, and leaving one's feet because of a hit. Rome left his feet because he hit Horton just that hard, as opposed to leaving one's feet to make an illegal hit.

Here is an example of the latter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5E90MtPMYg

Another of Steve Downie "launching." This is what the NHL means by "leaving one's feet" to make a hit, certainly not what Rome did the other night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322zq...eature=related

it was exactly the type of hit that the nhl has been trying to put a stop to-and with good reason. the puck was long gone; illegal hit resulting in a severe concussion.

Whether he left his feet or not, he targeted Horton's head...there's no way to spin it otherwise. If that's a legal hit, then toss the rule book.:zz:

he left his feet because he launched himself, made a vicious hit, and an illegal hit. i love hockey, love the physicality of it, and the hard, LEGAL hits. this was definitely beyond the boundaries, and he was given the appropriate punishment. i don't think there's a difference, or a reason to make any type of judgement as to why he left his feet. he left them, hit a guy who wasn't on the puck anymore.

I said from the get-go that the guy deserved games for a clearly dirty hit. That being said, I'd much rather a guy try to make a big play like Rome did the other night than do what Matt Cooke or Steve Downie do with regularity, i.e., turn into a human missile.

I stand by the statement that if Horton still has the puck, that's 100 percent, absolutely a legal hit. At some point, the onus has to be on the player with the puck to be somewhat aware of his surroundings. Rome hit him with a shoulder in the open ice - if that is the kind of hit we're trying to get rid of in hockey, then the NHL might as well ban checking in general.

Three youtube videos were posted before of perfectly legal hits of a similar ilk to what Aaron Rome did the other night with the only significant difference being that the players in those videos has the puck whilst Nathan Horton didn't. There's a big difference between hitting to kill (see: Matt Cooke on every shift) and trying to make a big hit and epicly failing in its timing (see: Aaron Rome in game three). Rome deserved the suspension, but for the result rather than the intent.

i think downie and cooke should be run out of the game. the thugs need to go.

Cooke is a weasel of the highest order. No place for him anywhere outside a professional wrestling ring.

Another strong performance for the Bs last nite. Hopefully they can maintain their momentum tomorrow nite.

Milbury with funny comment between 2nd and 3rd periods. He called the Sedin twins Thelma and Louise. While very funny, probably not an appropriate comment. T & L were very tough girls. :D

Since the Aaron Rome hit, the B's are on a 12-1 run. Pretty incredible stuff. The Canucks have a long and storied history of being soft defensively, and it showed the last two games. Ryan Kesler can't play all 12 forward positions.

I'm sure that there are a couple last night that Luongo would like to have back.
On the flip side, Tim Thomas has been incredible.

ryan kesler is not 100% hurt leg or ankle in sharks series.

and boy is barry melrose getting faaaaat.

Wow, another great game.

Tough break for the B's losing on that semi-flukey goal.

It sure was great entertainment for the whole game. Makes me hate the f***ing NBA all the more. Here's looking forward to a Game 7 and a B's win!

Wow, the Briuns have opened a can of whip-ass on the Canucks. About 12 minutes into the first and they are up 4-0 while chasing Luongo in the process.

:tro:

Game 7 will be fun.

I can't believe that a team one win from the Cup could come out with such a hideous effort basically from the opening faceoff...Jeez, come out flying for 10 minutes at least..Maybe Luongo will STFU and stop a puck in game 7. Vancouver should be embarassed by that debacle.
I also think Tim Thomas just wrapped up the Conn Smythe win or lose game 7.

I thought the Canucks looked ok early, but Luongo let up a horrible first goal that gave the Bruins such a boost. They looked unstoppable for the rest of the period.

I agree with you regarding Thomas, barring a disasterous game I think he locked it up too.

Last time a player on the losing team won the Conn Smythe?