Game 3 of the Montreal-Vegas series was one of the worst-officiated games I have ever seen. There were missed egregious calls — but they were missed. That’s the problem.
The refs are right there watching and choose not to call penalties. Corey Perry got caught with a high stick and was bleeding instantly but no call. Thankfully the Habs won anyway.
But Game 4 might have been worse and with COVID protocols, the ref pool is limited. The same two referees were on the ice in Game 3 and were back for Game 4.
That should be it for them for the remainder of the playoffs. If the league wants to send the message about dreadful officiating, it should start sending one.
If it were a regular non-COVID season, Chris Lee and Brian Pochmara shouldn’t have been the guys on the ice in Game 4 either.
While both teams face the same officiating and there is no advantage for one team or the other, it’s still impacting the quality and integrity of an otherwise entertaining playoff series.