I was at the game last night, and it was the worst officiating I have ever seen. Oddly, the other game in which the officiating had been downright horrible was the other game the Sharks played in Las Vegas. In both games, I felt the Sharks controlled the play very well, and deserved quite a few penalty calls they did not get. I didn't see the broadcast with commentary until I saw the video that I have attached, but I have also never heard Randy Hahn make such a blatant comment about poor officiating as I did in that game.
Here is a video of some of the missed calls last night. There are actually a few that the video maker missed. Now, I know that referees miss calls every single night, and that nobody is perfect, and I always try to say "it's not a conspiracy, the refs are just bad" but this was next level.
Of course, we all know about the high stick from James Neal. Let's take a look at it.
This is also really really bad. Before coming to a conclusion, just ask yourself this. When was the last time you saw a player slash a goaltender in the head, breaking his stick, and not be penalized for it? When have you seen a player slash a goaltender in the head, breaking his stick, and not even suffer from his own teammate's subsequent goal being called back? Then look at the Schmidt hit on Joel Ward. (0 minutes and 37 seconds into the first video) When was the last time you saw a player drive another player in the boards from full speed, looking at his numbers the whole time, cause a significant injury, (Ward did not return for the game) and not be penalized? Not even a 2 minute minor? Usually, if the refs initially miss it, they will call a minor after they see the player is injured. Why nothing here?
Fans of teams that have played against Vegas: have you felt, at any point, that the referees were giving your team a particularly unfair shake against the Vegas Golden Knights? Not just your usual "These refs are making some bad calls tonight" but a strong "It feels like Vegas is getting special treatment from the referees"