Islanders: Three worst calls against them in last year

Brassard’s Late Cross-Check

On repeated occasions, we’ve heard that refs don’t like to be the ones who decide the outcome of games, so when time is running out and the score is close, the whistles get stuffed in their pockets…metaphorically. Unless you’re Derick Brassard and there’s less than a minute left in the game.

Late in the third period on January 16, the Isles were facing the Rangers. And at 19:06 of the third period, Islanders forward Derick Brassard took a two minute minor for cross-checking Jesper Fast. If you don’t’ remember the play here’s a tweet with the video.

It’s not debatable whether that’s cross-checking. It is. But again, refs don’t usually call that s late in the game with the score tied. Brassard had cross-checked Fast just seconds before he went down. Why wasn’t the other one called?

To me, it’s because Fast drops like a bag of hammers the second he felt contact on the second cross-check. The refs award the call because of the dramatics by the Rangers forward. Just look at how delayed Fast’s actions are after Brassard’s initial contact.

But again, based on the time left in regulation referees typically don’t make this type of call. That’s why Brassard couldn’t believe it when he was called for cross-checking. At best this was offsetting minors to Brassard and Fast. But the Isles were the only ones to get a penalty.

Seconds later Chris Kreider would score on the power play to give the Rangers two points. Crushing.