Part Time Sucker: Scott Walker Will Play Game 6

Cute in a stupid ass way. The Hurricanes' Scott Walker (not pictured) will not be suspended for sucker punching Aaron Ward during last night's NHL playoff game.

Word has just arrived from the NHL that Carolina Hurricanes wing Scott Walker will be fined $2,500 for rearranging Aaron Ward's face at the end of last night's game, but he will not be suspended.

The punishment is the second of a one-two sucker punch—a more accurate metaphor might be a sucker punch team-up—because the NHL rules prescribe an automatic suspension (subject to league review) for any player who receives a fight instigator penalty during the last five minutes of a game. Walker's instigator penalty came with just under 3 minutes left to play.

The sucker punch (below) was only the capstone of a game where the ordinarily well poised and sportsmanlike Hurricanes turned petulant. A side effect of getting their asses handed to them in a 19-shot shut-out? Maybe. Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford thinks that the Bruins had it coming, "After our team received several punches throughout the series leading up to Game 5, it was a matter of time before one was going to be thrown back."

Bruins coach Claude Julien begs to differ:

"In reviewing what I saw, I just didn't like what happened. ... I just don't think there was any need for that," Julien said after practice in Wilmington, Mass. "He sucker-punched him once coming into the scrum when [Ward] was involved with another player. And then he dropped his gloves and sucker-punched him.

"I don't care what people say about, 'Ward should've protected himself.' He had no intention of getting involved," he added. "We asked our guys to stay composed and not fall into that trap, and he just did that. A guy with Walker's experience should know better than to sucker-punch a guy."

Why did the NHL rescind the suspension? Our guess is ratings. Game 6, to be played Tuesday in Raleigh, will be a bloodbath.

Kelly Greene contributed to this post.