I did a little research today and noticed that over the last 3 seasons, the Wings are consistently in the top 5 of least penalized teams in the NHL during the regular season. In the playoffs however, over that same 3 year stretch, they only crack the top 10 (of 16!) ONCE.

What possible explanation can there be for this? The playoffs arrive, and that consistant self-control they bring 82 times over the course of the year just goes right out the window? I'm not big on conspiracies, but when I figured this out, I got steamed!

Any thoughts?