Body Swap, NHL style?

This post is a bit overdue, but I don't really care.

The Pens played the Rangers last night, and something seemed amiss. The New York Rangers, a team who was barely playing .500 hockey before they lost the legendary Brendan Shanahan to injury, were staying stride for stride with the Penguins, buzzing all over the ice, and seemingly everywhere at once (not unlike when the Pens play Tampa):

Malkin falls - again - soiling himself in the process. Jagr and Mara are very displeased with such a rookie move.

...the Rangers held the game scoreless until they notched two goals in the final two minutes of the second, snagging a Pens penalty to head into the third with a 2-0 lead and a full two minute power play.


At which point I turned to my new friend at the bar and said, "we are playing the Rangers, right?"


Little did I know that something was amiss...



Over in a little area called D.C., the Tampa Bay Lightning were playing the Capitals. Well, early on, "playing" may have been a very loosely used term. Bodies were flying everywhere, and the Lighting were giving up goals to the likes of Kris Beech, needing a last minute goal just to cut the deficit to 3-2:

Everyone was tripping over each other, they were so eager to get in the refs pants

Then the swap happened. Second intermission happened, and Vinny and Marty showed up in DC and said, "OK boys, you've had your fun, now go fuck up you own game."

Sure enough, things returned to form. The Pens opened up the third period with two shorthanded goals and went on to pull out a 4-3 win in the shootout, while further east, the real Lightning showed up and quickly wiped away Washington's hopes of winning - though they strung them along for 10 rounds before the mighty Nick Tarnasky ended the shootout drama in a 5-4 win.

Celebrations ensued everywhere, even in the crease. Order had been restored to the NHL universe.