Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Kerry, This question is in regards to Milan Lucics four-minute penalty in the third period on Monday night. Now I understand with the call on Lucic, but what I dont understand is that Karl Alzner looked to me that he was the third man in. Lucic and Matt Hendricks were throwing fists and Alzner came in from behind and handcuffed Lucic. Why wasnt Alzner penalized for his actions? Thanks in advance.Chris Pettapiece,Atwood, ON Chris: The game misconduct for "third man in" under rule 46.16 (Fighting) was seldom applied during the course of this regular season; even in cases that appeared obvious. Although an "altercation" for the purpose of this rule is defined as "a situation involving two players with at least one to be penalized" it is generally accepted that a fight must exist for this rule to be enforced, if at all. In a roughing situation where a three-way hate triangle escalates such as the one last night involving Milan Lucic with Karl Alzner and Matt Hendricks of the Washington Capitals they are often treated as separate roughing incidents. Most often sound judgment is utilized in these situations to keep players in the game that often act as "peacemakers" to prevent a full blown fight from resulting. Last night the officials did exactly that. The only additional penalty I would have imposed in this altercation would have been a roughing minor to Karl Alzner for grabbing Lucic from behind as tempers escalated and fists started to fly. If you watch the start of this play Alzner gave Lucic a shove with his stick from behind as play stopped in front of the Caps goal. Lucic turned to respond to Alzner but was engage by Hendricks. The "triangle" had already been formed. The linesmen were quick to get into the scrum that developed but Milan Lucic, when angered, is one tough customer to contain. Alzner perhaps decided the linesmen needed a little help or wanted to continue his initial attempt at engaging the Bruin power forward. The reason matters not but when Karl Alzner grabbed Lucic around the head I would treat it as a separate roughing incident and have given him a two minute penalty as well but certainly not a game misconduct. Chris, I hope this addresses your desire that Alzner should have been penalized for his actions in the altercation. Now I received a second question from Steve in Chateauguay which I would like to briefly respond to. Steve wrote: Kerry - How did the NHL go from, in the words of Todd McLellan, "borderline chaos" over the weekend to a measure of control Monday? This is great insight on your part, Steve. There was no "borderline chaos" in the games Monday night and you need look no farther than the referees collective performance to find the answer to your question. Maybe someone is listening after all! A conscience effort and apparent adjustment was made by the refs that worked in each game to be assertive and proactive when the game called for it. As suggested from my column yesterday, the referees had a good handle on the game temperature and applied a much more consistent standard of enforcement. While they didnt overreact to hard legal hits, for the most part they did react appropriately to infractions that needed to be called. This response had a settling effect on the game as players were allowed to compete hard but recognized they would be punished and their team put at a disadvantage when they broke the rules. Instead of borderline chaos players demonstrated more discipline to stay out of the penalty box. Their leash was shortened by the referees and the players responded. Overall an "A" performance by the team in stripes last night. Good job. The test continues... For a personally autographed copy of Final Call from TSN hockey analyst and former NHL referee Kerry Fraser, visit The Book Keeper website. For a regular copy of Final Call from TSN hockey analyst and former NHL referee Kerry Fraser, visit here. Cheap NFL Jerseys .C. -- Cam Ward couldnt have picked a better way to record his 200th NHL victory. Cheap Jerseys . James Reimer will get the start for Toronto after his solid outing on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The team will have to do it without James van Riemsdyk however, as head coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday morning the forward is suffering from back spasms. http://www.cheapjerseyschinanfl.us.com/ . Viewers in the Habs region can watch the game on TSN Canadiens beginning at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. The game can also be heard live on TSN Radio 990 and TSN.ca/Montreal. Ironically, Ribeiro is playing his sixth season in Dallas but has not appeared in Montreal either due to scheduling or injuries. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Scott Sizemore went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, Kurt Suzuki added two hits, including an RBI double, and Hideki Matsui smacked a home run for Oakland, which had lost 13 of its past 15 contests. (Sports Network) - Zach Duke will make his return to the Steel City when he leads the Arizona Diamondbacks into the second test of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at PNC Park. Duke was acquired from the Pirates this offseason and had his worst season statistically in 2010, compiling an 8-15 record and a career-high 5.72 earned- run average over 29 starts. The left-hander was named a National League All-Star while with Pittsburgh in 2009, when he won a career-high 11 games. He went 45-70 with a 4.54 ERA in 160 games (159 starts) over his six-year stint with the Bucs. Duke began this season on the disabled list due to a broken hand suffered in spring training and is 1-1 with a 3.00 earned run average in two starts this season. He suffered a 6-1 setback to visiting Washington on Thursday, allowing four runs and 10 hits in five innings. Duke won his season debut at Houston on May 28 with seven shutout innings in an 11-3 bashing of the Astros. Arizona has lost two straight and three of its last five games, including Tuesdays 8-5 loss to Pittsburgh in this series opener, but is still 18-6 since May 14. The DBacks blew a 5-3 lead last night by giving up a five-spot in the bottom of the eighth inning. David Hernandez gave up all five of those runs without getting an out in relief of Daniel Hudson, who permitted three runs in seven innings. My game plan since little league is throw it over the plate, Hernandez said afterward. If they hit it, they hit it. Thats why we play 162 of these games. Juan Miranda went 4-for-4 with a home run for Arizona, while Kelly Johnson also went deep and drove in three runs. Chris Young cracked a solo shot in defeat.dddddddddddd Arizona, which remained one game behind San Francisco for the NL West lead, began a seven-game road trip on a poor note and will visit Florida for four games following this series. Pittsburgh has won five of its last seven games and got a big hit from Lyle Overbay in the bottom of the eighth inning. The first baseman stroked a bases- clearing double and also scored a run for the Pirates, who improved to 3-1 on a 10-game homestand and got a pair of RBI from Chris Snyder. We had some great at-bats leading up to my hit, Overbay said. Pirates reliever Chris Resop recorded the final out of the eighth to pick up the win and Joel Hanrahan turned in a scoreless ninth for his 15th save. Kevin Correia pitched the first five innings for Pittsburgh and was reached for four runs and eight hits for the no-decision. The Pirates will also host the New York Mets for four games on this current homestand and are scheduled to send Paul Maholm to the mound Wednesday. Maholm is just 2-7 with a 3.66 earned run average in 12 starts and did not record a decision his last time out, a 9-8 Pittsburgh loss at New York on Thursday. He permitted seven runs, six of which were earned, in 5 2/3 innings just one start following a three-hit shutout at Chicagos Wrigley Field on May 28. Maholm, a left-hander, is 1-4 in six home outings this season and 0-2 in four career starts against Arizona. Pittsburgh and Arizona met for the first time in 2011 on Tuesday. The Pirates took four of six matchups between the teams a year ago, including a three-game sweep in the Steel City from Sept. 17-19. The DBacks were 6-1 in the 2009 season series. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '