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Still, after Monday's 3-2 loss, the Hurricanes remain convinced that the league is favoring Crosby, not that they'll acknowledge it publicly. That perception will be as much of a rallying cry in this series as it was against the Boston Bruins.
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They would further argue that the NHL is desperate to see Crosby and the Penguins advance over the small-market Hurricanes as they point out that the Canes, the NHL's least penalized team in the regular season, have faced more power plays than any team left in the playoffs.
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Now, make no mistake, there are certainly people who work for the league who would love to see the Penguins back in the Stanley Cup finals. If you worked in the marketing department and didn't have a horse in this race, you might feel that way too.
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But there's a long and winding road between crossing your fingers in hopes Boston or Pittsburgh advances and actually being able to work the levers of the great and mighty Oz to try to make it happen.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/decock/story/1534746.html