Graney: Golden Knights play rough hockey but aren’t a dirty team

DENVER — The line is perpetually gray. Where you cross it depends on who’s making such judgment. But if you listen to those fans and media of teams opposing the Golden Knights in these Stanley Cup playoffs, you wonder:

When did the Hanson Brothers arrive in Las Vegas?

And why hasn’t The Arsenal applied its usual 100 percent upcharge on those black framed glasses?

A dirty team is in the eye of the accuser. The Knights aren’t one.

They’re big and heavy and physical. That’s their identity. They straddle that line of unnecessary actions. They have in forward Ryan Reaves a player who has at times absolutely jumped over it.

It’s why Reaves has been suspended for two games of this best-of-seven West Division final against Colorado, in which Game 2 will be contested Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

A hairy situation

It was an Avalanche, all right, the 7-1 victory by Colorado in Game 1. Reaves received a match penalty and was ejected in the third period for throwing defenseman Ryan Graves to the ice and using his body weight to keep the player’s head from moving.

He also pulled some of Graves’ hair out, which is strangely impressive when you consider Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer said Reaves never took off his gloves. That’s some serious David Copperfield stuff right there.

“I think we know where the line is,” DeBoer said. “Is it harder (understanding the line) than it was 10 years ago? I think so. I think expectations and the line of acceptability has moved. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”

The Knights ranked 21st in penalty minutes per game this season, 22nd in penalties taken and 23rd in total penalty minutes. And while it’s true they controlled the puck a substantial amount of time, it wasn’t some nightly crusade to the box.

Reaves was retaliating for an earlier hit by Graves on Knights forward Mattias Janmark, which knocked Janmark out of the game. Graves received a minor penalty for interference. It deserved more. It was dirty.

So was one by Reaves against Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter during Game 7 of a first-round series.

Such is a major problem with the entire narrative: Whether it be on-ice officials or the league’s Department of Player Safety, this stuff is more unpredictable than the weather patterns of Texas. You think goalie interference is a mystery as to what might be called? Try sorting out which penalties are ultimately deemed suspension worthy or not.

“It’s tough, because some of these hits happen in a split second,” said former Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland, who was suspended twice for hits to the head while playing in Pittsburgh. “In between my two suspensions, there was a play exactly like the first one and I just got a warning. It’s easy to slow things down and say, ‘Oh, my God, that’s awful.’ But this stuff happens at game speed.

“It’s the playoffs. You’re trying to play clean, but it’s a long series and you wear guys down and you want to find that line. Nobody wants anyone getting hurt. Reaves is one of the cleaner heavyweights I played against. We’d fight when I was in Pittsburgh and go to the box and B.S. for five minutes. Like, ‘How’s the family?’”

Numbers don’t lie

It’s wrong and fairly shortsighted to throw the blanket of dirty play over an entire team. Reaves as a repeat offender shouldn’t receive the same benefit of the doubt as others. But numbers just don’t support the perception that the Knights are egregiously irresponsible in this area.

Here are the thoughts of one player about the Reaves suspension:

“Obviously a hard guy to play against. He’s physical. But he doesn’t cross the line too many times. He never really crosses the line. I thought (he) did a little bit with (Graves), but stuff like that happens. He didn’t like the hit on Janmark, so I get that he’s trying to send a message. That’s his game.”

That was Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer.

You know, a guy who’s actually on the ice.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.