Report: Canadiens upset about latest 'spear' by Lucic
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.ca, the Montreal Canadiens were fuming over an alleged spear by repeat offender Milan Lucic on Alexei Emelin during the third period of Game 3 between the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Lucic appeared to poke or slash Emelin in retaliation after the Montreal defenseman cross-checked him along the boards. No penalty was called on the play.
No hearing or fine for Milan Lucic after "spearing" Alexei Emelin in 3rd period last night. #canadiens #bruins #nhl #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 7, 2014
Lucic speared Emelin between the legs during a game in March and did the same thing to Detroit Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser during the first round of the playoffs. He was fined $5,000 for the DeKeyser spear.
Lucic's spear/slash/poke on Emelin in Game 3 appears innocuous compared to those earlier incidents, but it will not help the reputation he is developing for his dirty stick-work. Still, the complete lack of supplemental suggests this particular spear was not really a spear at all.
Also, considering other incidents from Tuesday's game, such as this late hit on Bruins forward Jarome Iginla by Canadiens forward Travis Moen or P.K. Subban probably knocking the net off on purpose with 12 seconds remaining in the contest, Montreal might want to think twice before fuming.
For his part, Boston coach Claude Julien refused to fume about any of the missed calls from Game 3 during a media availability on Thursday.
Claude Julien: "If we rely on referees to give us the breaks our focus is in the wrong place. We need to make our own breaks."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 7, 2014