Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn. Courtney Lee Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, So Shawn Thornton gets a slap on the wrist for the water squirting incident - a childish, unsportsmanlike and potentially dangerous act, but players can get two minutes for spraying the goalie with snow when sometimes inadvertently just trying to stop quickly? In your opinion, should the NHL ever consider taking a more serious look at such actions and add them as an infraction in the rule book? Mike Cimba Mike: The Player Safety Committee should be commended for their swift action to impose the maximum permitted fine under the CBA ($2,820.52) against Shawn Thornton for his childish, television viewer unsightly, unsportsmanlike and potentially dangerous act of water bottle squirting at PK Subban. I am quite sure an incident of this nature will never happen again given the maximum allowable supplementary discipline and public humiliation that has been imposed against Thornton (sic sarcasm intended). Now that this bug on the visor of Subban has been wiped clean and severely dealt with, perhaps the PSC, Hockey Operations and the Officiating Department can focus their attention on more important issues that have been continually exposed to this point in the playoffs? For starters Mike, additional rules dont need to written until the ones that already exist are more consistently enforced; or even just applied. If the referee determined that Subban had been legitimately interfered with by a spray from a water bottle in Thorntons hands (Heaven forbid) the ref could have applied a broad interpretation to rule 56.2: a minor penalty shall be imposed on any identifiable player on the players bench or penalty bench who, by means of his stick or his body, interferes with the movements of the puck or any opponent on the ice during the progress of the play (Thorntons hands are attached to his body). Likewise, the same rule 75 - unsportsmanlike conduct, that is applied (sometimes) against a player deemed guilty of deliberately snow-showering a goalie could also be imposed in the case of a player deliberately squirting water in the face of his opponent. With the multitude of infractions that are being let go throughout extended portions of these games I cant imagine any referee imposing a penalty for this squirt of liquid. With regard to player safety however, it appears to be a serious and unwanted element of the game. So too was diving/embellishment once upon a time. Embellishment was deemed a plague within the game and language was added to rule 64.3 that provided authority for Hockey Operations to review game videos and assess fines to players who dive or embellish a fall or a reaction, or who feign injury regardless if a penalty was called on the ice. The punishment for the first such offence during the season will result in a warning letter being sent to the player. The second such incident will result in a $1,000 fine. For the third such incident in the season, the player shall be suspended for one game, pending a telephone conversation with the Director of Hockey Operations. For subsequent violations in the same season, the players suspension shall double (i.e. first suspension - one game, second suspension - two games, third suspension - four games, etc.)  When was the last time you read that a player had been fined for diving/embellishment let alone suspended? I have seen some known offenders embellish as many as three times in one game during these playoffs. Im not suggesting for a second that players should be suspended for the letter of the law that this rule empowers Hockey Operations. What I am suggesting is to focus on the real important issues beyond a squirt from a water bottle. Lets start with an acceptable and expected standard of enforcement from the referees throughout a playoff game that is more consistent with those employed during the regular season. The rulebook has not changed from the regular season but the application and standard of enforcement by most of the referees clearly has. Powerful stick slashes that broke a players stick was almost always called; as the playoffs progress they are seldom called and have even resulted in goals being scored. Obvious infractions have been let go; major infractions have been let go or deemed to be a minor penalty. The latest such example was the major boarding infraction by Brandon Bollig on Keith Ballard that was deemed to be a minor penalty by the referee on the ice. Bollig was subsequently and correctly suspended for two games by the Player Safety Committee for this dangerous hit that injured Ballard. As far as I am concerned they got in wrong by not responding in kind to the chicken-wing elbow delivered by Jared Spurgeon of the Wild to the head of Marcus Kruger. Kruger was pulling his upper body back and up after shooting the puck on goal. Spurgeon was going to miss his intended check and responded by leaving his skates and extending his elbow to initiate contact with the head of Kruger. Kruger staggered of the ice and went directly to be evaluated in the quiet of the Hawks dressing room. Spearing incidents and howdy-dos between the legs have on occasion resulted in the assessment of penalties. Sidney Crosby provided a pretty good howdy to Dominic Moore that went un-penalized and resulted in a scrum at the end of the second period in yesterdays Rangers 3-1 win over the Penguins. In an attempt to keep all things in perspective, it would appear that a squirt off the bench with a water bottle will result in the maximum allowable fine being levied by the Player Safety Committee. Perhaps just a letter to Thornton would have sufficed; all things being equal? Jason Kidd Jersey .The Ottawa Senators winger was relegated to a corner seat in the locker-room to allow Daniel Alfredsson to return to his regular stall one last time. Mavericks Jerseys China . - The New England Patriots needed help on defence so they added three experienced players at midseason. LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly got on the plane after Josh Becketts no-hitter in Philadelphia and teased next-day starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. "You have to throw a perfect game to top Beckett," Mattingly told the South Korean left-hander. Ryu nearly did. He retired his first 21 batters before Todd Fraziers leadoff double in the eighth inning, and Los Angeles held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Monday. "For a minute there, I thought, Whew, he might do it," Mattingly said. The Reds hit only three balls out of the infield before Frazier doubled down the left-field line on an 0-1 pitch. That followed a three-run seventh by the Dodgers in which Ryu ran the bases and scored. Ryu came close to making the Dodgers the first team in major league history with consecutive no-hitters. Beckett won 6-0 on Sunday. "Of course it was in the back of my mind," Ryu said through a translator, explaining that he had never carried a no-hit bid that deep. "It wasnt until the seventh that I thought it could happen." Los Angeles pitchers tossed a club-record 17 straight hitless innings dating to Saturday, when Paul Maholm got it started against the Phillies. The only other team since 1974 to have a no-hitter through seven innings in back-to-back games was the Oakland Athletics on July 14-15, 2005, against Texas, according to STATS. "It gives us confidence as a ballclub that what weve been built for is to pitch," Mattingly said. "It tells me we can get on a roll." The only other club since 1974 to pitch 17 straight hitless innings was the Los Angeles Angels from May 1-3, 2012, including Jered Weavers no-hitter, STATS said. "I was more nervous tonight," Mattingly said. "Its a one-run game and one swing can change the whole game. It was fun to watch until the eighth." Cincinnati scored three times in the eighth, but right fielder Yasiel Puig made a key defensive play when he cut off Billy Hamiltons two-run double in the gap. The relay home held Skip Schumaker at third, and Kenley Jansen struck out Brandon Phillips with the bases loaded to preserve a 4-3 lead. Jansen also worked the ninth, retiring Devin Mesoraco with two on for his 15th save. Johnny Cueto (4-4) allowed four hits and four runs -- one earned -- in 6 1-3 innings. Ryu (5-2) was charged with three runs and three hits in 7 1-3 innings, improving to 6-0 in six starts against the Reds. He struck out seven and walked none while winning for the first time at Dodger Stadium this season. He was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in three previous home starts. "He was great through seven," said backup catcher Drew Butera, who also caught Becketts game. "When guys see a pitcher a third time theyre a little more confident. He still made some good pitches; they just foound some holes. Cheap Mavericks Jerseys. " Ryu got help from third baseman Justin Turner, who was playing for injured Juan Uribe. Turner made two diving stops in the hole against Zack Cozart his first two times up and threw him out both times. "It was a huge part," Ryu said. "He motivated me to focus more and try a little harder." Reds manager Bryan Price singled out Turner as a standout. "His 16-pitch at-bat really took a lot of the starch out of Johnny in the seventh and led to their big inning," Price said. Ryu left to a standing ovation not long after Frazier spoiled his bid for the first perfect game in the majors since Felix Hernandez accomplished the feat for Seattle against Tampa Bay on Aug. 15, 2012. Ryan Ludwick followed with a single, moving Frazier to third. He scored on Chris Heiseys sacrifice fly that left the Reds trailing 4-1. Brayan Pena singled, bringing Mattingly to the mound to remove Ryu. "He was throwing every pitch in any count and just kept us off balance really well," Heisey said. "He wasnt leaving anything over the middle of the plate. It was almost like he was setting up his fastball with his changeup and his curveball. He did a great job of mixing it up and not giving in." The Reds continued the rally after Brian Wilson replaced Ryu. Wilson gave up Hamiltons two-run double and walked Cozart before he was yanked and angrily slammed his glove twice against the dugout wall. Wilson paced back and forth several times, then began clapping as Jansen was introduced. Ryu faced a Reds lineup in which only one batter began the day batting over .264. That was Phillips, who came in hitting .281. The Reds played without slugger Joey Votto, who went on the disabled list Sunday with a strained left knee, and right fielder Jay Bruce, who came off the DL last Friday after left knee surgery. The Dodgers had a long inning in the seventh, which started with Turners 16-pitch walk. Ryu was later credited with his first RBI of the season. Cozart charged Ryus slow bouncer to shortstop with the infield playing in, hoping for a play at the plate. Instead, Cozart bobbled the ball and all the runners were safe. Turner scored to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. They extended it to 4-0 on Carl Crawfords two-run double that scored Ryu and Dee Gordon. Los Angeles led 1-0 in the third on a two-out fielding error by Frazier, who was making his second start at first base this season because of Vottos absence. NOTES: Sandy Koufax remains the only Dodgers pitcher with a perfect game, a 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at home on Sept. 9, 1965. ... Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully missed the game because of a chest cold that was expected to keep him out of the booth Tuesday as well. ... The Dodgers will give away Ryu bobbleheads on Tuesday. ' ' '