NHL playoffs are chippiest in six years

[Renew Deal]

These NHL playoffs have had their share of comebacks and overtime games, but the chippiness just blows that away.

"It sure reflects how close the series are," said NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who gets to witness the action up close from his perch between the benches. "Also, a lot of the first-round series involve regular-season rivals, and that breeds instantaneous animosity."

There were 724 penalty minutes called through the first 19 games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. That's the most the NHL has seen since the 2006 playoffs opened with 804 penalty minutes in 19 games.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins added to that trend with 158 penalty minutes, including 72 in a rough-and-tumble first period that included Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux fighting and Arron Asham being ejected for cross-checking and punching Brayden Schenn.
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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012-04-15/chippy-nhl-playoffs/54299518/1

Fights are here: http://www.hockeyfights.com/teams/24/fightcard/pos2012

[frylock]

1. that flyers/pens game yesterday was a blood bath

[MrSlayer]

2. It's been great so far.

And a lot more to go. You can see the Pens and Flyers absolutely hate each other. Lots of banging going on in the other series too. Nothing in sport is better than the NHL playoffs.

[Becka2515]

3. Chippy is ok, fighting is ok

but head hunting and cross checking someone in the throat isnt ok. The pens are nothing but dirty cry babies.