Chara has never done anything in his career that would suggest he intended to injure Pacioretty.
It was scary to see Montreal's Max Pacioretty lying on the ice Tuesday night, not moving after crashing into the stanchion near the bench on a hit by huge Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Charo.
Almost immediately, some started to suggest Chara was seeking retribution for being pushed from behind by Pacioretty following a Montreal goal in early January. That may or may not be true. However, nothing Chara has done in his 13-year NHL career suggests he is the type of player who would ever purposely injure an opponent.
The NHL investigated the hit (which included interviewing Chara) and decided no supplemental discipline was necessary. This will no doubt anger Habs fans, but it is the right decision. Mike Murphy, NHL senior vice-president of hockey operations, said Chara’s clean record played a role in the decision.
Nobody wants to see a player injured as Pacioretty was and everyone, Bruins fans and all, certainly wish him a speedy recovery. But you'll never convince me, regardless of how the NHL handles this one, that Chara purposely hurt him.
Interestingly, Buffalo's Tyler Ennis also slammed hard into a stanchion the same night, but escaped uninjured.
Here are some other thoughts and observations as we approach the end of the regular season.
Sens-ing defeat
Hard to believe, huh?
The New Jersey Devils' miraculous run toward the playoffs may have been trumped by the Ottawa Senators of all teams.
The Ottawa freakin' Senators!
If the Devils don't make it now -- and let's be honest, it was the longest of long shots despite their bounce-back from what was a horrible and embarrassing start to the 2010-11 NHL regular season -- they may look back on Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat at the hands of the 29th-place Senators as the final nail in the coffin.
Despite out-shooting the Senators 32-21, the Devils didn't have the formula to shut down Ottawa rookie Erik Condra (the 211th pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) who scored both his teams goals and now has four goals and six points in 10 big league games.
I think a lot of non-Devils fans are actually quietly cheering for them to make it because we may never again see a team come from 29 points out and make the playoffs again in our lifetime. And then they lose to the Senators -- at home no less.
Just goes to show you can't take any game for granted in today's NHL.
No Toews, no win
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews failed to register a point in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers. The loss ended Chicago's eight-game winning streak and also ended Toews nine-game point streak. He managed eight goals and 15 points in that span and likely vaulted himself into Hart Trophy consideration.
Islander turnabout
With their 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday, the New York Islanders continue to be one of the NHL's best second-half teams. In fact, you wouldn't be far off if you suggested the Islanders have finally turned a corner. Sure they still play in the NHL's worst arena and if they can't get a new one soon, owner Charles Wang may pull up stakes and move the team, but on the ice they suddenly look like a team that is moving in the right direction.
It has taken a while for young star John Tavares to show why he was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL draft, but he is finally starting to be an impact player -- at the tender age of 20. Tavares ranks 24th in NHL scoring with 24 goals and 55 points in 65 and he's minus-17. However, since Jan. 1, he is the NHL's fourth-highest scoring player behind (in order) Daniel Sedin, Jonathan Toews and Jarome Iginla with 13 goals and 31 points in 32 games. ,br> With 28 goals and a very good chance to record back-to-back 30-goal seasons, Matt Moulson is the real deal and rookie Michael Grabner, who has been dropped by the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers, leads all freshmen with 27 goals. Blake Comeau and Josh Bailey are also youngsters with considerable upside.
Replacement coach Jack Capuano looks like he is able to push the right buttons with this young group and will likely be retained.
Booth back
There hasn't been much to cheer about in Florida this season, but the resurgence of David Booth is certainly noteworthy. Booth, as you'll recall, was seriously injured when he was cold-cocked by Philadelphia's Mike Richards, a collision that caused a serious concussion to the Panthers scoring star.
Upon his return, he was hit by Montreal defenceman Jaroslav Spacek causing a second concussion. It looked like he may never reach his potential, but with 20 goals this season, he appears to be well on his way to re-establishing himself as an impact player.
