Quote:
Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce
Flames had 3 pp's, the Avs 1. Avs 1-1 on pp, Flames 0-3. The difference was capitalizing on special teams, not the calls. Regardless of the game, one can't expect more than 3x the pp opportunities than the home team gets. Ever.
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It goes beyond stats and ratios. From the linesmen to the orange stripes, officiating was poor all game long. The phantom too many men call essentially swung the momentum in favor of the Aves and they took advantage of it all the way to the first 4 minutes of the third period. A couple of mistakes on offsides deflated some momentum as well, pretty much neutering good odd-man opportunities.
Moreover, discipline goes a long way. Colorado did not play disciplined hockey tonight, yet they weren't punished for it.
Look, I'm not laying the blame directly at the feet of the referees. The Flames' defense was bad for large segments of the game and the composure and energy simply wasn't there from puck drop through a full 60 minutes. However, the officiating stood out more so this evening as detrimental and a negative influence on Calgary's fortune than in others.