NEW YORK -- Kris Letang's hard, swinging high stick that bloodied the face of the Rangers' Viktor Stalberg went inexplicably unpenalized Tuesday night in the Penguins' Game 3 victory, but that doesn't mean it will go unpenalized by the NHL.
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The incident occurred seven minutes into the second period when Letang, in the defensive corner, was hip-checked into the boards by New York's Dominic Moore. In almost the same motion, Letang's stick rams into the left jaw and cheek of Stalberg, who was closing in on the play:
Stalberg returned to the New York bench and remained in the game.
Regardless, it's almost impossible to fathom why neither of the two referees, Dave Jackson or Kelly Sutherland, would have raised his arm for a penalty. All of the league's high-sticking rules require the player to be "responsible for his stick," meaning intent doesn't need to applied to making a call. Except for the follow-through of a shot, the burden is on the player holding the stick. What's more, if a player is bloodied by an unintentional high stick, the minor penalty automatically becomes a double-minor.
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