The Toronto Maple Leafs did not play in last night’s incredibly boring hockey game.
The Montreal Canadiens bored their opponent into a mid-game nap, then took advantage. I was glad about the result, but it is hard to watch the NHL playoffs at this point and not think about how much less talented teams benefit from the NHL’s absurdly bad officiating.
As illustrated earlier this year when they fired Tim Peel for saying out loud what every single NHL fan knows to be true: that the NHL manages the game in order to keep penalties even.
It is hard to see this “revelation” as anything other than a complete failure of critical thinking. That is because referees calling penalties are not the ones affecting the game – it is the player taking the penalty that does.
The NBA does not allow traveling or charging or illegal defense in the fourth quarter or the playoffs. In the MLB, the strike zone doesn’t change in the 9th inning. The fact that hockey’s rules relax in the playoffs to the point of equalizing the talent of good and bad teams is indefensible.
The NHL Is Failing It’s Fans and Players
This is something that seems to be coming to a head. The mainstream writers are getting on board. Pierre McGuire is confused. No one knows what a penalty is anymore. As Mark Spector points out, Connor McDavid hasn’t drawn a penalty in two straight series, and only only three of the top 25 salaried players are still playing because the NHL’s bad officiating leads to a ridiculous talent equalization.
The NHL, if they just called the rules as they are written, would likely have seen a Final Four that featured Boston, Toronto, Vegas and Tampa – four out of the five best teams in the game (Colorado had to face Vegas).
Nobody even mentions it because they don’t want to look like they’re whining or making excuses, but this is clearly a huge problem the NHL has. For example in the Leafs vs Montreal series, the Habs had almost 100 more body checks over seven games and played a much more physical game. For reasons inexplicable, this led to them taking only six more minor penalties than the Leafs over seven games. (stats from nhl.com)
That a team could be so physical and yet so disciplined as to barely take one single extra penalty per game almost defies belief.
The cost to Montreal to equalize the talent discrepancy they have against the Toronto Maple Leafs was less than one power-play per game. Note also that Montreal won a game in overtime seconds after an uncalled elbow to the head of Alex Galchenyuk that was completely egregious and not in any way a borderline call.
The Leafs – even by the NHL’s nonsensical standards – should have had a five minute power-play and would almost certainly be on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals right now. Now, look, I get that the Leafs played like crap for three games and they never should have put themselves in that position, so I don’t want to give them a pass here, I just want to point out how if the NHL enforced it’s own rules – even just the basic ones, like don’t elbow anyone in the $$$$$$$ head – the results would be much different.
If you spend the time and the money to put together a skilled roster, teams should not be allowed to break the rules all game long in order to compete with you. Montreal took three penalties for every two the Leafs did, but they played in such a way that that was an acceptable risk vs reward situation for them. If the NHL just called every penalty, regardless of which team took the last penalty or what time of the game it is, the Toronto Maple Leafs would have spent way, way more time with the man advantage.
Remember Matthews smiling as he was ragdolled? That is because the Leafs know where they can beat a team like Montreal – unfortunately, they forgot about what a Mickey Mouse league they play in, and that strategy was doomed from the start.
Before the NHL resumes next summer, they need a complete re-evaluation of their entire rulebook and referees, including the absolute joke that is the Player Safety Department.