Times wires
Friday, June 3, 2011
VANCOUVER — The Canucks weren't surprised by the outstanding play of Bruins goalie Tim Thomas in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday.
They did take issue with where he played.
Coach Alain Vigneault and several of his players Friday questioned Thomas's aggressive positioning well outside his crease, specifically a tripping penalty to Alex Burrows for bumping him outside the paint.
But as Thomas noted ahead of tonight's Game 2, the goalie's right to stop the puck unimpeded is not limited to the crease.
"I have the right to go anywhere there's open ice," said Thomas, who made 33 saves before Vancouver's Raffi Torres scored Game 1's only goal with 18.5 seconds to play. "If I'm set, I have a right to that ice. If I'm out of the paint and I'm set, I also have the right of way to get back to the crease."
There's no doubt Thomas — like Vancouver's Roberto Luongo a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's best goalie — is more aggressive than most.
"I just play my game," said Thomas, who has drawn just three goaltender interference penalties in 19 playoff games, though, not all contact might have been recorded that way. "It's not always in the blue."
The Canucks don't seem to have a problem with that as long as they aren't penalized for being there, too.
"I mean, 90 percent of his saves are outside the blue paint," Vigneault said. "A lot of times he does initiate contact. That's the way he plays. We're going to look to get a little bit of clarification."
Vigneault won't like what he finds. Rule 69.4 states "a goalkeeper is not 'fair game' just because he is outside the goal crease" and the onus is on the attacking player not to make "unnecessary contact."
"The rule is pretty clear. You're entitled to your ice," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "If he steps out and he's got that ice, he's entitled to it. We all know goaltenders are to be protected. If you're going to say he's out of his crease, he's fair game. That should be the same thing behind the net."
MORE CANUCKS: Center Manny Malhotra, out since a deflected puck hit him in the left eye March 16, practiced and hopes to play in the series.
"I don't want this to be a sideshow. This is not about me wanting a sentimental shift," said Malhotra, a faceoff and defensive specialist. "It's about me feeling I can contribute. It's a day-to-day situation. One day to the next, things have changed."
Vigneault didn't give any hints if Malhotra will play tonight. He also declined to comment on defenseman Dan Hamhuis, who didn't practice after apparently getting hurt in Game 1 while delivering a low check on Boston's Milan Lucic.
Sabres: Drew Stafford signed an extension the Buffalo News reported is for four years and $16 million. The wing, who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1, scored a career-high 31 goals despite missing 20 games with various injuries this season.
Barnaby case: ESPN analyst and former player Matthew Barnaby has been served with court orders that bar him from offensive conduct against his wife and contact with her boyfriend. Barnaby was arrested May 13 in Getzville, N.Y., where his wife and two children live. He has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including criminal mischief, trespass and harassment. No trial date has been set.