[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

The amount of penalties and rough stuff after the whistle in pretty much every game is incredible. I think most teams are mimicking what worked for the Panthers - Hit everything that moves.

I like a good solid body check as much as the next fan, but I'd much rather see the players on the ice than sitting 3 and 4 deep in the penalty box.

I was wondering if the physicality was my imagination or not. Canes game 1 was, IMO, the most physical I'd seen from Carolina I thought. And though they had fewer hits, it was still rougher than usual for them. I was actually impressed they were more physical in the OT than the Sens were.

But this is why I like the current format. Even though you'd prefer not to have matchups like Wild/Stars, Tampa/Montreal this early, the fact that these are division rivals going at each other makes it more personal.