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Hybrid icing means more work for NHL linesmen

By John Mehno for The 4 min read
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PITTSBURGH — The NHL has instituted a hybrid icing rule in the interest of player safety.

By relying on a linesman’s judgment to determine who would reach the puck first, the NHL is hoping to eliminate high-speed collisions along the boards.

That’s made extra work for the linesmen in more than one way.

Faceoffs are significantly up because of the rule, and nobody is very happy about that.

The Penguins don’t like it because the frequent face-offs interrupt the flow of the game. The Penguins like to play an uptempo style. That gets compromised when the game slows down for another whistle and another face-off.

Two of the Penguins’ first three games had more than 70 face-offs. If this continues, it’s going to be a different game — and it won’t be a better one.

The players were divided on the value of adding hybrid icing. Given the way things have unfolded, it’s hard to find anyone who now thinks it’s a good idea. Face-offs affect the flow of the game.

Maybe there’s an adjustment that could be made, or maybe the NHL could reconsider the new rule.

The policy was changed to protect players.

But what’s a greater danger to the players: Collisions while racing to get an icing call, or fighting where players use bare fists to hit each other in the head as hard as they can?

Yet there’s no significant movement to ban fighting.

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The Penguins made several high-profile player acquisitions at last year’s trading deadline.

The only one still benefiting the team is the one that got the least attention.

They got forward Jussi Jokinen from Carolina, and even got the Hurricanes to kick in part of his salary.

The other three players — Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray — are gone this season. They all disappointed in the playoffs, and the Penguins had no interest in retaining any of them.

But Jokinen, who had an extra year on his contract, remains. He’s playing a significant role while James Neal is out with an injury.

Jokinen isn’t out of place playing on the Penguins’ second line alongside Evgeni Malkin. He can also help out on special teams. He has the kind of versatility that’s especially valuable on a team like the Penguins.

The Penguins might have buyers’ remorse on the other three acquisitions, but they’re pleased with what Jokinen gives them.

The fact that he’s here at a bargain price makes it that much better.

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Backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff is due to make his NHL debut this weekend.

Zatkoff is 26 and has toured the minor leagues extensively since the Los Angeles Kings spent a third-round draft pick on him.

One of his minor league stops was the East Coast Hockey League, which is traditionally something of a dead end for players whose pro careers have stalled.

But that’s not necessarily the case for goaltenders.

There are usually only two spots per team for goalies. If an organization is deep in goaltenders, it means someone is going to play in the ECHL, which is a rung below the American Hockey League.

There’s no stigma for goalies. The list of NHL goalies with ECHL experience includes Jonathan Quick, Braden Holtby, Tim Thomas and Mike Smith.

The Penguins profess confidence in Zatkoff, who had a strong training camp and played well in exhibition games.

Part of that could come from the reality that they don’t currently have a lot of alternatives. Backup Tomas Vokoun is out three to six months after surgery to remove a blood clot, and salary cap concerns make it difficult to acquire an experienced goalie without making a corresponding move to get payroll relief.

John Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.

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