Scouting the Refs: Stanley Cup Finals Game 2
Sporting the zebra stripes for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight at the Prudential Center will be Dan O’Rourke and Chris Rooney; the lines will be manned by Quebecois crew of Jean Morin and Pierre Racicot.
Dan O'Rourke calls upstairs
Game 1 saw a whopping 3 penalties called – 2 on the Kings and 1 on the Devils; both teams were held scoreless on the power play. With the tight play so far in the series, expect both teams to do their best to stay out of the box to avoid giving the opponents power play opportunities.
Darryl Sutter is hoping to take advantage, should those chances arise:
“Actually, [our power play has] won us some big games. If you study it, look at it, you get the packets every day, right, how many penalties our team has actually drawn. So long as we continue to do that. If you watched or were at the last game, our power play had two great opportunities. “ – Kings head coach Darryl Sutter
O’Rourke and Rooney were paired together for the Conference Finals — together, they worked 7 playoff games together this season, including the Kings 4-0 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, which, with 14 minors, 2 majors, and 4 game misconducts, was the most penalty-filled game of either Conference Finals, and the third highest in this year’s playoffs. The game included two major boarding penalties, on on Coyotes captain Shane Doan and one on center Martin Hanzal, who earned a one-game suspension for his hit on the Kings’ Dustin Brown. It also included a questionable embellishment penlaty on Kings captain Dustin Brown:
“If you look at the replay, his stick is above his head when he chops down on me. I think most hockey players know, if you get hit in the right spot, your leg goes numb. That’s what happened in that case.” – Dustin Brown
Dan O’Rourke – #9
O’Rourke, originally from Calgary, has worked 508 regular season games and 25 playoff games, including the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Averaging 8.5 minor penalties per game in the regular season, O’Rourke went up to 10.3 in the playoffs.
In games officiated by O’Halloran this season, including playoffs, the Devils are 5-3 (average 9.2 minor penalties per game); the Kings are 5-2 (average 14.3 minor penalties per game, in some rough matchups).
Chris Rooney – #5
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Rooney has worn the stripes for 562 regular season games, including the 2010 Winter Classic. He has officiated 26 playoff games; this is his first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Rooney averaged 9.0 minor penalties per game in the regular season and 10.6 in the playoffs.
In games worked by Rooney this season, including playoffs, the Devils are 2-4 (average 7.9 minor penalties per game); the Kings are 7-2 (average 11.1 minor penalties per game).
