|
Officials, Canadiens Down Lightning in Pivotal Game Three Contest |
|
|
|
|
|
The National Hockey League ought to be ashamed of the officiating displayed in game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. It was, in a word, embarrassing. Just as it looked like the Bolts might be able to generate some life, their efforts were snuffed out by some ‘questionable’ calls and non-calls. The result was a 3-2 loss to the Canadiens, which puts Tampa on life support with a 0-3 series deficit.
Tampa started game three just as it had played the first two. What exactly does that mean? Well, it means that the Lightning weren’t very good at all. Montreal dominated the opening frame, while the Bolts struggled to get the puck through the center of the ice. Perhaps the best evidence of this is the first frame’s shot attempts chart.
You’ll notice that “MTL GOAL” is typed on the far left side of that chart. It’s not a typo. Only 11 seconds into the hockey game, Rene Bourque scored the opening goal to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead. It was a goal that Anders Lindback would almost certainly like back.
After allowing that weak first goal, Lindback rebounded nicely with some stellar saves to finish up the first period. While the team in front of him sagged and made poor decisions with the puck, Lindback was there to make big save after big save. His play generated some league-wide attention.
No, that tweet wasn’t in reference to the whole game. That tweet was in reference to the first period alone. Lindback was excellent.
The tides sort of turned in the second period, as the Bolts got their legs moving for arguably the first time in the series. Ondrej Palat scored the team’s first goal, a power play marker, at 8:39 to tie things up at one. Assists on Palat’s first career NHL playoff goal went to Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. It gave Tampa a much needed dose of life.
Things got disappointingly weird only minutes later, as Tampa appeared to score their second of the game to take their first lead since game one. That was until the referees decided to waive it off. With Alex Killorn and PK Subban battling in front, Ryan Callahan jumped on a loose puck and potted it past Price. The referees determined that Killorn made incidental contact with the goaltender and therefore nullified the goal.
That no-goal call was particularly interesting when you consider a few things. First of all, notice that PK Subban effectively blocks Alex Killorn from vacating the crease. Secondly, take note of how the official who waives off the goal seemingly has no problem with the contact until the puck was put in the net. It was a delayed call. Finally, do you honestly believe that Price was impeded on that play? He had time to get back in position, and he essentially did. As nearly every reputable media personality, including each individual on the CBC crew, said, the goal should have counted.
That’s just a small sample of the reaction.
As if the blown call wasn’t enough, things went from bad to worse only moments later when Steven Stamkos took a knee to the head. After being knocked down by Brandon Prust (interference?), Stamkos got dinged in the melon by Alexei Emelin.
The play is somewhat similar to the one that saw James Neal suspended for five games earlier in the year. It had that “accidentally on purpose” look to it. It appeared to me like Emelin made exactly zero effort to get out of the way. To be clear, I'm not saying that he had any intention of injuring or even hitting Stamkos. My view is simply that he perhaps could have done more to avoid contact.
After being hit, the Lightning’s captain and best player struggled to get to his feet and off the ice. It was a scary situation for anyone who cares about the well-being of hockey players. Certain fans in attendance at the Bell Centre don’t fit into that category.
I was utterly shocked by that.
Then, with less than two minutes left in the second period, Brendan Gallagher beat Lindback to make it 2-1 for Montreal. To call that sequence a turn of events would be to understate things in a big way.
Tomas Plekanec extended the Montreal lead to 3-1 about six minutes into the final frame with his second goal of the postseason. That one was a backbreaker for the Lightning. His shot found its way through three players before squeaking through Lindback and into the gaping cage.
Even as they were down 3-1 late in the third, the Bolts were unwilling to roll over and die. Montreal retreated into a bit of a defensive shell, and that allowed Tampa to generate some of its best sustained pressure of the entire series. That solid play resulted in Matt Carle’s first goal of the playoffs at the 11:36 mark of the final period. Once again, they had life.
Frantic play and great chances ultimately failed to add up to a third Lightning goal, and so the final buzzer rang with the scoreboard showing a 3-2 score. The Canadiens waltzed out of the Bell Centre with their third consecutive victory in hand, while the Bolts were forced to leave with nothing. Disappointing doesn’t begin to describe it, especially when you consider how hard the team played in the latter half of the game.
I’m not one to blame officials for a game’s outcome, but the utter incompetence of the men in stripes tonight was hard to ignore. When you consider that the Bolts played the game at 5-on-7 for long stretches, it’s a damn miracle that they only lost by one goal. It’s fair to say that the sun is setting on their season, but the guys should take a lot of pride in how they handled themselves tonight.
As much as the officiating hurt to watch, there's no doubting that Montreal was once again the better team. This Canadiens group has Tampa's number right now, and it doesn't look like that's about to change. Jon Cooper was outcoached again, the Tampa skaters were outplayed again, and the better team walked away with a victory.
The Bolts will play game four in Montreal on Tuesday, though I’m not sure that matters much. Montreal has been the better team in this series from the moment the puck dropped in game one. Coming back from a 0-3 deficit is a nearly impossible task.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»