On a quiet Wednesday in June, hockey has only a few games left. That depends on if the Oilers can respond at home starting tomorrow night. They trail the Panthers two games to none, having been held to only one goal.

The Oilers are finding out what the Rangers learned in the last round. Offense is hard to come by against the stingy Panthers. Even boasting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl hasn’t been enough to beat Sergei Bobrovsky. He was brilliant in Game 1 and strong in Game 2.

Admittedly, I haven’t caught any of the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. However, I saw enough highlights on both social media and NHL Network. The Panthers cashed in on Oilers’ mistakes to take Game 1. They dominated Game 2. Evan Rodrigues scored twice in the third period to break open a tie game.

That’s not what’s been discussed on the two off days before Thursday’s game. Instead, Draisaitl has been front and center. During the third period of Game 2, he delivered a questionable hit on Aleksander Barkov that forced him to leave the game.

They called it a two-minute minor for roughing. The problem was that Draisaitl made head contact. As he went for the hit, he came upwards due to his foot leaving the ice. It was more of a charge than roughing. By elevating, he delivered an illegal hit that put Barkov at risk.

The second angle shows it better. It easily could’ve been a five-minute major and game misconduct. Earlier in the contest, Warren Foegle was assessed a five and a game for kneeing Eetu Luostarinen. That might’ve affected the call on Draisaitl.

In a high stakes game, the officials are less likely to eject a key player for a dirty play. During the postseason, we’ve seen Sam Bennett get away with injuring Brad Marchand in the second round. His rabbit punch to Marchand went unpenalized. Marchand missed multiple games.

With the Panthers getting encouraging news on Barkov yesterday, the league decided not to even address the Draisaitl hit. There wasn’t even a fine. When it comes to player safety, there’s definitely a double standard. An established star is given a lot more leeway.

Imagine if Matt Rempe had made the same hit. He’d have gotten the gate and been suspended multiple games. His size and strength work against him. Even when he made a conscious effort to deliver clean checks during the playoffs, he was called for some very iffy penalties. The rookie was on a short leash. That impacted how Rangers coach Peter Laviolette used him.

Too much of how the Department of Player Safety operates depends on whether a targeted player suffers an injury. If they were good at their job, Draisaitl would be out for Game 3. Instead, he didn’t even have a phone hearing.

George Parros is the current man in charge. A former enforcer who made his living using his fists, he has a Princeton education. It doesn’t seem to be being put to good use. There’s still too much inconsistency when it comes to disciplining players for their actions.

It’s almost like the league plays politics. Certain players can get away with more. That’s part of the hypocrisy. It frustrates fans of the sport. Judging from some of the responses on the Draisaitl hit, many felt that he deserved to be suspended a game.

The Rangers employ Jacob Trouba. He could’ve been suspended for an elbow that grazed Rodrigues’ chin and neck last round. He was lucky that it didn’t make head contact. Trouba was fined $5,000. Otherwise, he’d have gotten the rest of the series for that elbow.

Trouba plays on the edge. Even when he doesn’t make contact on some of his attempted big hits, it causes a reaction. He nearly decapitated Martin Necas in the second round. He ducked out of the way at the last moment.

Trouba’s risky play finally caught up to him during the winter. During a game against the Golden Knights on Jan. 26, he elbowed Pavel Dorofeyev in the head on a faceoff. He was suspended for two games and forfeited $83,333.34 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Making a player accountable for their actions is the best way to keep them in line. It didn’t stop Trouba from taking some dangerous risks. If he remains a Ranger, he’ll have to be more careful moving forward.

By the same token, when the league turns a blind eye to its other stars, it reflects poorly. There must be more consistency. Draisaitl will play in tomorrow’s crucial third game for Edmonton. They need both him and McDavid to figure out the Panthers’ defense and solve Bobrovsky.

Of course, it’s better to have Draisaitl in for such a pivotal game. Will the Panthers seek retribution? Boasting Matthew Tkachuk and Bennett, they aren’t shy about taking liberties. Ask McDavid about some of the scrums so far.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice is keeping things close to the vest regarding Barkov. He returned to practice earlier today. Maurice wouldn’t divulge anything.

The Panthers are two wins away from delivering the franchise’s first Cup. Winning should be the priority. A win in Game 3 would probably finish off the Oilers. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.