Former Referee and Officiating Director Calls out TOR-BOS Game 2 Officials.

[bigbadbruins1]

It's one thing if the refs swallow their whistles because it's the playoffs. However like I said before if they are going to call high sticking penalties against Nylander and Kapanen like we saw in Game 1, it's not unreasonable for Leafs fans wanting to see that same penalty called on the Bruins when John Tavares gets a stick in his face and are upset when the same penalty is not called on them.

I agree he got high sticked and should have been called. The issue I take with that series of plays is Tavares skated straight through Rask and bowled him over. Intentional or not he could have easily avoided him, he wasn't being hit or forced to skate in that direction.

Overall it was a crapshoot of a game for officiating. Bruins most likely got the better end of it, but home teams generally do when there is questionable officiating.

 

[b in vancouver]

I said this before and I will say it again, the calls on both teams should be consistent. In Game 1 both Nylander and Kapanen were given 2:00 minutes for high sticking. In Game 2 John Tavares got a stick in his face and the ref did not give the Bruins a penalty for that. So those are some of the plays the Toronto media is talking about.

In game 2 there were a few things that could be called like the high stick on Tavares but just as easily Tavares also usually would've got two for skating into Rask unimpeded as (not that I agree) those are called all the time - not equal, but both penalties. etc. Kadri with a decent slew foot. DeBrusk could've got interference and possibly a roughing (or at least they might've taken both). etc. I don't think Pasta's was a penalty but not surprised it was called - whatever. I'm glad they never called Muzzin on Krug or DeBrusk on Marleau or that one scrum. I'm glad they never called Kadri earlier.

But nothing really out of the ordinary. Or worth having much of a discussion about reffing.
Toronto was playing on their heels last game and got bullied in an intense hockey game. And it was fast without whistles a few times. Just as easily us fans are frustrated because they're calling every ticky-tack penalty. And just kinda sucks the life out of it.


I'd pace yourself with complaining about reffing because, especially if The Leafs beat Boston and have another series, these first two games aren't going to be anywhere near what you're complaining about. Because the games amp up.

 

[b in vancouver]

I agree he got high sticked and should have been called. The issue I take with that series of plays is Tavares skated straight through Rask and bowled him over. Intentional or not he could have easily avoided him, he wasn't being hit or forced to skate in that direction.

Overall it was a crapshoot of a game for officiating. Bruins most likely got the better end of it, but home teams generally do when there is questionable officiating.

I thought they'd take them both. But when they let Tavares get away with bumping Rask (and that is almost always called) they'll let the battle right afterwards go also. - The stick definitely catches him high and is a penalty but I can understand if they never either caught a good glimpse or thought no harm no foul on both.

 

[Daishi]

I can’t believe people aren’t seeing this as what it is, a power play to pressure the refs in game 3 to call everything against the Bruins. The goal is to help the Leafs win the next game.

It’s no different than when the coaches or whoever ”raise questions” through the media. They can’t change what happened but they can try to influence the next game with the hope of plenty of make up calls.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I thought they'd take them both. But when they let Tavares get away with bumping Rask (and that is almost always called) they'll let the battle right afterwards go also. - The stick definitely catches him high and is a penalty but I can understand if they never either caught a good glimpse or thought no harm no foul on both.

I actually think it would have been better if Tavares got 2:00 minutes for goalie interference because what if someone like Brad Marchand decides he wants to "accidently" knock Andersen down. Won't he claim since Tavares did not get a penalty for doing it to Rask, he could think it was okay for him to do the same thing against Andersen?

 

[Bergyesque]

It's debatable that he should have got 5:00 minutes since he left his feet to make the hit and the fact Muzzin was bleeding.

He did not jump.

 

[justafan22]

I can’t believe people aren’t seeing this as what it is, a power play to pressure the refs in game 3 to call everything against the Bruins. The goal is to help the Leafs win the next game.

It’s no different than when the coaches or whoever ”raise questions” through the media. They can’t change what happened but they can try to influence the next game with the hope of plenty of make up calls.

There isn't some big conspiracy of the refs against a team.

it's just laughable incompetence

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

I agree alot of calls were missed. But atleast it was from both teams so it still evens out i guess

 

[Mick Riddleton]

I actually think it would have been better if Tavares got 2:00 minutes for goalie interference because what if someone like Brad Marchand decides he wants to "accidently" knock Andersen down. Won't he claim since Tavares did not get a penalty for doing it to Rask, he could think it was okay for him to do the same thing against Andersen?

It is a good thing the Bruins do not have Kadri. I would almost expect him to take out Andersen as the Leafs best player. Marchand is too small to do anything to Andersen but Kadri has a way of selling an accidental fall on guys. He has done it before

 

[LeafsNation75]

It is a good thing the Bruins do not have Kadri. I would almost expect him to take out Andersen as the Leafs best player. Marchand is too small to do anything to Andersen but Kadri has a way of selling an accidental fall on guys. He has done it before

Marchand has been known to do things that were "accidentally on purpose" so he's no angle and neither is Kadri.

 

[compan]

I agree alot of calls were missed. But atleast it was from both teams so it still evens out i guess

See this piece seems to be left out a lot with the reffing narrative. I actually missed Kadri's slewfoot, hit to Krejci's head and 1st crosscheck to DeBrusk. Now that I've seen those, I'm thinking it does even out the elbow and the missed penalty from the knee. I don't think the knee was an actual penalty given it looks like it was intended to be a clean hit, but I could definitely understand why a ref would call it in real time.

 

[PB37]

Oh man. Never gets old

 

[The Kessel Run]

The article in the Toronto Sun citing a retired official from an hour outside Toronto forgot to mention Kadri hitting Krejci in the head in the hindsight penalty calling. No mention either when Krejci got called in a scrum but not the Leaf that initiated it. Maybe the Boston Globe can run a counter article and call those out for them?

I KNOW! I was shocked that Leaf had the audacity to put his face in three of the Bruins' gloves like that. What a little so-and-so...I think he even wrapped himself into a headlock and jumped onto the ice. It really should have been mentioned in the article, I agree.

 

[compan]

I KNOW! I was shocked that Leaf had the audacity to put his face in three of the Bruins' gloves like that. What a little so-and-so...I think he even wrapped himself into a headlock and jumped onto the ice. It really should have been mentioned in the article, I agree.

Certainly would fit the tone of the article.

 

[Number8]

Lewis hasn’t watched a lot of playoff hockey since he retired, I guess.

 

[BlueOil]

seems likely he's biased, so why don't we throw this away in the excuse pile? same one as last year?

 

[b in vancouver]

I actually think it would have been better if Tavares got 2:00 minutes for goalie interference because what if someone like Brad Marchand decides he wants to "accidently" knock Andersen down. Won't he claim since Tavares did not get a penalty for doing it to Rask, he could think it was okay for him to do the same thing against Andersen?

Exactly. They call those even when they aren't bad so no one thinks they have the green-light on the next shift or something. As fans it drives us nuts sometimes that goalies have this protective bubble around them while playing the puck and stuff - but can understand it. They don't want guys accidentally/on purpose catching the goalie.

Tavares bumping into Rask was innocuous, and I don't want to imply otherwise, however it was kinda the most surprising 'non-call' for me as it's pretty much mandated that's 2 minutes - which is also why you don't see it as much as you did 4 or 5 seasons ago.

Also why I didn't care that they never called the high-stick. It was all pretty quick and then over.

 

[LeafShark]

The non-calls against the Leafs hurt. The refs are supposed to be cozying up to ALL Stanley Cup hopefuls! Its statistically proven!

 

[The National]

The Leaf fans search of reasons & excuses for losing continues.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Let me see the Refs and the League are dead set against the biggest money making market team. Yup that makes sense from a business side of things. Who is the responsible for that plan, let me guess Sean Avery.

 

[Semantics]

Let me see the Refs and the League are dead set against the biggest money making market team. Yup that makes sense from a business side of things. Who is the responsible for that plan, let me guess Sean Avery.

That's exactly it. There are $o many rea$on$ for the NHL to favor the Leafs that they try very very hard to avoid even the slightest appearance of bias.

 

[BlueStorm]

The league wants to grow the game in the states and keep Americans watching the TV deals the league never had before in the US.
There is absolutely nothing to be gained by the business of hockey if a Canadian team wins a series in the playoffs, god forbid a cup.
Can you imagine Jacobs and Bettman curled up together watching Calgary and Toronto in the finals? You’d be able to fit the rest of the US citizens that would be watching the game in the same bed.
No money to be made there.
Keep bringing the Canadian talent out of the north to perform in the frozen WWF of sports. The refs are no different than the ones at wrestlemania in the 80s...follow the script boys.
I hear the Bruins are starting #5 Chris Rooney tonight. Glad there’s a hometown presence to keep the charade going. Maybe the nhl can save some ice space and hire some Russian figure skating judges to “officiate” the game.
Of course the deflate gate capital of sports and their fans wouldn’t see anything wrong with the refs. Why would they? I probably wouldn’t either if my team could turn the game into a UFC event every playoff game.
Let’s continue Bettmans run of no Canadian Stanley cup champs north of the border. Since that weasel appeared in his first full nhl season the cup hasn’t travelled north unless it was with one of the many temporary foreign workers from Canada bringing it home.
Now where’s the Advil!?!

 

[BlueStorm]

Let me see the Refs and the League are dead set against the biggest money making market team. Yup that makes sense from a business side of things. Who is the responsible for that plan, let me guess Sean Avery.

Omg, the leafs make money no matter if they win or lose. It’s about TV deals in the states and growing the game in the south and west. Good grief, this isn’t rocket science.

 

[Bruin]

The only play that I can think of right away is when Muzzin injured Krug and some Bruins fans consider it to be boarding, however there are other Bruins fans who also thought it was a clean hit.

I guess you missed the high stick to Chara's face last game.

 

[Bruin]

Kadri suspended for the remainder of the first round.