IF the Sharks go on to win the Cup...

[MXD]

No. This is round 1, and there's at very least 12 games left to play (realistically, closer to 20).

So, 4 : Not Tainted At All.

 

[AaronDellForPrez]

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Just as tainted as the 3 cups gifted to Pittsburgh.

Really gifted to Pittsburgh? WOW must be a Flyers fan
If the Cups was gifted, we would have won every year since Crosby's draft
Look at the Oilers and all the 1st picks they've had, what have they done since? You still need to build a winner and JR did just that

As for the question in the OP, every team that wins the Cup need breaks to go there way.

 

[The Duck Knight]

Glad you agree the refs need to be reprimanded after last night.

 

[Los merengues]

Officially: "Series supervisor Don VanMassenhoven said the major penalty was given because the cross-check caused a significant injury."

A penalty that would have been only 2, became a 5 minute major, because it caused a significant injury. It isn't rocket surgery. Minor penalties that cause significant injuries become majors.

I know people are emotional right now, but saying this is a "bad call" seems to be trying to work Eakin's intent into this. Eakin didn't mean for Pavelski to be that badly injured, obviously. But his minor yet obvious infraction became a major because it caused a significant injury (official wording).

Some are suggesting everyone fall down and act injured at every minor penalty then, if that is how the rule is - but there is already a penalty for that - it is called diving or embellishment. Pavelski was not embellishing.

You lie. Such thing has no correlation with The rules.

 

[Crabapple]

Not tainted at all. Blown calls happen, they still scored 4 goals in 4 minutes.

 

[Fugazy]

Won’t be tainted. Bad call but Vegas can’t allow a barrage of non-stop goals like that.

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

ultimately it was a terrible call that I absolutely don't agree with, but that's not on San Jose. They took advantage of their 5-minute power play and scored 4 goals.

 

[fasterthanlight]

Teams get breaks, and teams get broken by factors out of their control. The sharks have had a *ton* of cases where the world has decided that it wasn't their time. The sharks have had some breaks, too. It all evens out in the end.

 

[tony d]

I went with Option 2.

 

[ManofSteel55]

As the other poll shows, about 90% of the posters agree that Eakin should not have gotten a major penalty (I wholeheartedly agree).

If the Sharks go on to win the Cup (which they probably won’t)...

If the Sharks go on to win the cup, there will be no taint on it. They will have to go through Colorado, one of Dallas or St. Louis, and the Eastern Conference champion (Washington/Carolina/Boston/Islanders/Columbus).

The referees didn't lose that game for Vegas, Vegas' inability to kill that penalty (or win a single of the final three games) did. It was a bad call, but people are acting like the referees forced Vegas to play without a goalie or something.

 

[Machinehead]

I vote for don't give a shit about either being "tainted."

Vegas was up three and the in the crease rule sucked.

 

[Albatros]

Doesn't change anything, the Sharks will be deserving champions if they go that far.

 

[StoneHands]

They still need to win 12 more games against 3 of the best teams in the NHL. Not tainted at all and I say this as someone who thinks that should have been a 2 minute minor. It's not like every 5 minute major ends up in 4 goals against. Vegas was allowed to defend but forgot.

 

[elmaco]

Wheres the no option?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

There is still 3 more series to be played. If they can win them all then its not really that tainted. Just this round was.

 

[Puckstop40]

No it won’t be tainted. Even as a Vegas fan, the Sharks still played tough the entire series. That call is a very bitter pill to swallow, but the Sharks still had to execute that perfectly. If they go on to win three more rounds, they will have earned that no matter. Stanley cup playoffs are the toughest in sports.

Excuse me while I go throw up now.

 

[NorCalhockey]

I know we have a long way to go, but can you imagine the following scenarios:

1) San Jose beats St. Louis in the WCF (again!) to make it to the SCF
2) Jumbo Joe faces his former team - Boston - where he was the Captain, to win the Stanley Cup

If there be gods, then make it so!

 

[SoundAndFury]

That penalty didn't even win Sharks the game, it got them to OT. Not to mention Vegas PK had a historic choke. So tainted cup.. Please..

 

[HabsTown]

People are acting like a major penalty is an automatic three or four goals against. I’m super impressed the sharks pulled it off, 99/100 times a team scores one or something and still lose.

Not tainted at all. Not a major, and a bad call, but let’s recognize the pure INSANITY that is scoring four goals on a five minute major.

This 100%. Very very bad call, but letting 4 goals in 5 minutes... they ''kinda'' deserve to lose.

 

[george14]

Any objective person can agree that should not have been a 5 minute major. I'm an attorney, so I get how we want to look into the rules, but that isn't the point. It was a bad call and an emotional one by the refs. we can use the rules and manipulate them how we see fit. An inadvertent light tap can be called interference according to the rules, but let's be reasonable here.

With that being said, Vegas blew a 3-0 lead. It was not a tie game where a penalty shot was awarded on a BS call with 1 second left. This took a Herculean effort to score 4 goals on a single PP. If SJ wins it all, they deserved it.

 

[wintersej]

Not tainted at all. It was a rough call. They happen all the time. The Sharks took advantage. If they win, they will have won three more series and this will be a far away after thought outside of Las Vegas.

 

[kihei]

There is nothing tainted about the Sharks win. The argument is with the refs who made a really bad decision. That being said, the Sharks, looking totally spent and inept before the penalty, took advantage of their good fortune while the Knights failed to rise to the occasion to protect their three goal lead.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

No lol... scoring 4 goals on 5 min pp, in game 7 is impessive no matter how much you disagree with call.

Vegas pk and fluery let em down

 

[OilCanada92]

As others have pointed out, how is there not a "not tainted" option?