The Washington Capitals fell behind 2-0 early against the Philadelphia Flyers. Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Metropolitan Division’s first-place team looked out of sorts to start the game. With only five games in 19 days, the unevenness is understandable.
What isn’t understandable is why Matt Niskanen forced his way into the penalty box when he wasn’t actually called for a penalty.
The silliness happened 6:11 into the first period. Niskanen dumped Jakub Voracek in the defensive zone after a face-off.
Niskanen saw the official’s arm go up and assumed he was being whistled for tripping or interference.
Instead the call was icing. Officials skated over to the penalty box and let Nisky know he was innocent of any wrongdoing.
What a weird way to start the game.
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