5 things we learned in the NHL last week: Crosby can slash his way through anything
Plus, Mike Babcock won't be trying that again
Another week of the NHL season has come and gone, but not without teaching us a few lessons along the way.
Here's a look back at some of the most exciting and/or strange events that caught the attention of hockey fans over the last seven days and what we learned from them.
Sid can slash through your defence
Sidney Crosby had some kind of week. He lost teeth, scored what's being called the goal of the year, and nearly severed an opponent's body part.
Let's begin with Pittsburgh's game against Buffalo on Tuesday where Crosby got away without any sort of penalty, warning or discipline after this spear on the Sabres' Ryan O'Reilly:
The Penguins captain then submitted his entry for the goal of the year with this one-handed backhand over Robin Lehner:
Looking for another tally near the end of the game, Crosby lost two teeth to Evander Kane's high stick:
How do you follow up a game like that? Well, the Penguins' game vs. the Senators on Thursday saw Crosby with more questionable stick work that went unpenalized:
Message to playoff-bound teams: Sidney Crosby can hurt you — with or without the puck.
Never bet against the penalty box
Mark it down as a rare mistake in Mike Babcock's NHL career of more than 1,100 games coached.
The Toronto bench boss didn't put a Maple Leafs player in the penalty box to serve Roman Polak's major for boarding in their game against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday.
Thanks to a lack of whistles, that five-minute penalty turned into a seven-minute penalty kill.
While Babcock admitted it was a mistake in his post-game comments, one of his players was looking on the bright side.
"I've never seen anything like that, that was something new," William Nylander told the Toronto Star. "They had like seven minutes on the power play. It was a pretty cool experience to be a part of."
But not one his coach would like to experience again.
That's why the stanchions are rounded
The Hudson River rivalry really hadn't been stoked since the last meeting between the Rangers and Devils in the 2012 playoffs, but Nick Holden's hit on Miles Wood certainly sparked something.
The future is now
The Vancouver Canucks got a little glimpse of the future on Saturday, but the present came crashing in on them as well.
Despite Brock Boeser's first NHL tally giving them the win, the Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Never read the coach's lips
Doug Weight tells us how he really feels about that call.
