- Sidney Crosby took a Garnet Hathaway high stick to the face late in the first period of Game 3
- Crosby was hit with an embellishment penalty and both players went to the box
- Read below for video of the controversial call and full details
Sidney Crosby took a stick to the face in Game 3. He still ended up in the penalty box.
Late in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Garnet Hathaway caught Crosby with a high stick near the faceoff dot. The contact was clear, and Crosby went down hard. Referees hit Hathaway with a high-sticking penalty, then tagged Crosby with unsportsmanlike conduct for embellishment. Both got two minutes.
Here’s the video of the play:
Hathaway was livid on his way to the box, jawing at Crosby the whole way. Philly fans loved every second of it, getting their loudest moment of the first period as the Penguins captain sat down.
The replay shows Hathaway’s stick making contact with Crosby’s face. The stick caught him. Nobody is arguing that. But the way Crosby crumpled to the ice didn’t sit right with the officials, and they made the call.
It’s a tough call to make in the playoffs. Getting hit with a stick in the face genuinely hurts, and expecting a player to stay on his feet through it is a lot to ask. Crosby has dealt with plenty this series, and the frustration is building.
The penalties offset, so neither team got a power play. The second period started with 4-on-4 hockey.
Earlier in the first, Evgeni Malkin had given Pittsburgh its first lead of the entire series on a power-play goal just 4:18 into the game. The Flyers had killed all seven chances in Games 1 and 2. That streak ended fast.
Embellishment calls are rare enough in the regular season. Getting one in a playoff game where your team is already down 2-0 is going to sting for a while.
