Supernova McDavid is coming
April 21, 2023
Oilers stars shine in Hollywood
April 25, 2023
April 23, 2023 by Josh Boulton
Prior to Game 1 of the 2023 Western Conference First Round series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings, I wrote about how the officiating could favour the Kings and make it a needlessly difficult series for the Oilers.
The article ends with the statement: “We probably won’t find out one way or the other until sometime during Game 3 again, but as a fan of the game, I hope skill wins out.” With the Kings holding a 2-1 series lead after three contests, we definitely have our answer. And that answer is a resounding yes.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are a funny business in general. More often than not the best teams do win, but typically the dirtier an opponent can play, the longer the series goes.
It should be the opposite. Whichever team works harder, skates faster, and possesses the puck more and draws more penalties (and then scores on the power-play) should win. That’s not how it typically goes, though.
Look to the series between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders for evidence. The Hurricanes had a 2-0 series lead, but the likes of Matt Martin and Scott Mayfield made their presence felt like they do, and the Islanders gained momentum to take Game 3 and make a series of it.
The series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning is another prime example. Two of the most talented rosters in the entire NHL are three games into what’s become one long tension filled street brawl. Instead of being a case of who can display the most skill, it’s become a race to see who can eliminate it.
That’s just playoff hockey though, right? That’s the sad reality. The officials put their whistles away and “let the players decide it”. I could almost live with that. The penalty standard of “anything goes” is frustrating, but it’s at least a standard. It’s predictable and you can adjust to play within it.
However, this series between the Oilers and Kings is quite different. I do feel the Oilers are carrying more of the play, but it’s not like the Kings are responding by being overly dirty. They’re playing a smart game and taking advantage of their moments to counter.
The fact the Oilers have either been tied or had the lead for all but just over seven minutes of the entire series and find themselves down after three outings is a testament to how effective the Kings have been at this. But the main reason the Kings are winning games is because they’ve been given 15 power-play opportunities over three games and the Oilers have had only eight.
Related: Officiating could make the first round of the playoffs harder than it needs to be
For example, both Kings’ victories have come in overtime, and both of those winning goals came on the power-play. Not just on penalties where it’s been a long hard overtime and eventually something happens that just has to be called. In Game 1, the Kings scored less than 10 minutes into the extra frame.
In Game 3, the game-winning goal came less than four minutes into sudden-death play. I’m all for the officials giving penalties to teams who deserve them even if that means one team gets way more power-plays than the other. That’s how it should be.
Fair doesn’t always mean equal. The obvious thing to say is the Oilers simply have to be more disciplined. The question is though, what exactly are the Oilers doing differently to draw so many fewer calls? What could they possibly change?
Aside from the Leon Draisaitl unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in Game 3 on Friday, where he skated at Drew Doughty after a Connor McDavid power-play marker to take the lead and gave him a tap with his stick, there hasn’t been anything noticeably avoidable and certainly nothing so obviously different than what Kings have been doing.
Again, that’s not to say the Kings are being dirty and getting away with stuff. That’s absolutely not the case. They’re being just as disciplined as the Oilers are, but for some reason they’re the only team being rewarded for it.
In Game 3 alone there were at least four notably comparable incidents both ways throughout the night that were handled very differently by the officials. A possible Darnell Nurse leg check on Viktor Arvidsson was reviewed for a major penalty before being reduced to a minor, whereas later on an Alex Edler leg check on Warren Foegele was instantly called a minor penalty for tripping and never reviewed.
During a scrum after the whistle Edler crosschecked Klim Kostin in the back and there was no call against the Kings. Granted it wasn’t much of a crosscheck, but earlier in the game Vinnie Desharnais was randomly given a penalty for not much of a shoulder bump after the whistle, and of course, Draisaitl was given that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for not much of a slash after the whistle as well.
A Phillip Danault two-handed slash near the hands of Connor McDavid went uncalled in regulation time, and a Ryan-Nugent Hopkins two-handed chop to a stick in overtime led to the game-winning goal.
The list is long, and it’s frustrating. Both teams are already playing a consistently honest, hard-working, clean-checking game. It’s easy to ask a team to stop playing dirty hockey. But how do you ask a team to stop playing hockey?
That’s what the officials are asking of the Oilers, and it may just be the biggest challenge this team will ever face.
17 Comments
Just one comment. Watch the Draisaitl penalty closely. He taps the ice, not the pad. It makes it even worse.
I’m curious to what extent the dichotomy for a given type of infraction – that between an autocall vs a judgement call – can confuse or put refs in an awkward spot when in the past some of these calls have either been judgement calls or auto calls.Some of these calls, it’s hard to know if there’s more to the story or if there are things where the Oilers get warned and called on the second infraction. It feels like there is some underdetermination here, or more to the story, otherwise, hard to explain. Alternatively, for the slash in game 3 that led to the OT pp, if the stick hadn’t broken, maybe the refs let that go, but they are, in effect, mandated to call that. Since they didn’t call the Danault slash, that now looks awkward because with no broken stick, it’s a judgement call. Alternatively, the cross check in the corner, if I recall, has been the type of cross check the league has cracked down on this season, meanwhile, other somewhat brutal looking cross checks in front of the net seem to be ok, while forearm shivers to the face will always be called now. So a minor slash that breaks a stick has to be called whereas a cross check is a judgement call. Perhaps more whistles than necessary the other night against the Oilers, but hopefully the Oilers can avoid some of these auto calls that they know of and the NHL can provide some clarification on the nature of the direction it’s giving the refs for judgement calls.
I think we agree. Fiala hits Him with his shoulder and body and an gets penalized for what? Also the goal before that. I saw a trip by Davids on Doughty behind the net. No call. Second later they score to make it 2-3. Credit Edmonton for their hustle. But they had calls and non calls that favored them that period that influenced the outcome.
Agreed a thousand percent… Why when officials were “replaced” and sent to Dallas series did edmonton get biased calls or non calls?
NHL sooo badly wants a Canadian team to win the cup and I fear a clear interference of the game that I love to achieve their goal.
Those that pay their employees, clearly control their employees actions.
I do agree with the poor officiating but it’s the same for other teams. The poor professionalism of the NHL officials must be getting directions from someone. They are doing what they are supposed to do just like any job. When the boss expects certain things to be done a certain way you have to execute to keep your job. The refs are the same to get to the next round. Who brings more fans to the game. Well at this rate he will be playing golf as the league knows it’s playoffs and the rinks will be full regardless. Hockey playoffs are tough and rules change.
Sounds like sour grapes . This or that , it still baffles Why does Edmonton put themselves in those cases ? The Refs have No control of the sticks like Edmonton players thinking its cute to poke a Player on the Ice …… ?
Did you not bother to read past the headline? The whole point was that it’s not about Edmonton “putting themselves in those cases” it’s about them just playing clean hockey and being penalized for things LA is also doing but not getting penalties for. And I have to say, as a Bruins fan who does not care at all which of these teams we have to crush in the finals, he’s absolutely right. The refs are not calling this series evenly or consistently. The same is definitely true in the Lighting-Leafs series too, and even worse in the Wild-Starts series. Again, I don’t care about any of those teams, but as a hockey fan, the officiating is an embarrassment.
A pathetically biased article. Plenty of undeserved penalties against the Kings.
True, and as an Oilers fan I will admit the officiating has been very poor for both teams.
Both teams have had non calls against them and it seems to be equally bad for both.
I don’t see the favoritism in either direction.
Yep the refs have been making bad calls in al the games. The refs cost the wild game 3 with 4 minutes left on the game.
In playoff hockey 15 PP. to 8 PP s. Is unheard of. In playoff hockey. I’m a USA citizen but im A bigger hockey fan having Season Red Wing tickets for 42 years…. . Edmonton is getting screwed. 2-1 PP calls is unheard of !!!!!!!
Completely agree with the article : refs decide of the outcome of way too many Games.
Wow. The Oilers have been helped in every game by the officials. Drai should have been in the box half of game one with 3 elbows to the head of Kings players alone.
Thank you Tom!!! NHL controlling the outcome by way of officials/ employees so that they can help guarantee a Canadian team gets a cup or at minimum helping their top players get a cup. “It’s always good for business”
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