[CRS]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Bettys

People seem to forget that Kessel did take the time to fight Flynn in the midst of this brawl (I'd say he won that fight too). So its not like Kessel refused to engage anyone while swinging his stick around. He faced the music in a fair match.

Scott broke a very important unwritten rule in hockey so he gets no sympathy from me. He left himself open to almost any form of retribution short of a Bertuzzi. If you ask me, a couple wacks to the well protected shins, and the most weakest of spears is getting off easy. He will get his come uppins when next these two teams meet with Orr and McLaren in the line up.

Kessel's second slash and "spear" were messages to Scott saying: "Don't come to a non fighter, half your size, for a fucking fight or you will face my stick and next time I will make it count." Now that Kessel has instilled the threat of stick work into Scott's tiny brain, perhaps Scott will think twice before violating "the code." Scott may just realize his outmatched fighting opponent won't simply take a beating, turtle, or run away, but will defend himself and inflict whatever damage he can in the process. Sometimes just the threat of greater violence is enough to prevent conflict. Kessel went a little too far with that message, and so he sits. The punishment fits the crime.

Yet Kessel's suspension is not the vacation people are making it out to be. Instead of being able to build chemistry on the ice with his teammates to get the season rolling, Kessel sits. It makes it more difficult for Carlyle to create line combos and work on his PP without his main offensive threat there. One of Carlyle's strategies is the lack of set lines. He obsessively line matches and mixes up his lines on the fly to keep opponents guessing. Not having Kessel there, hinders that strategy.

Written like a true homer.