Looking for an edge, Sutter says officiating "out of hand."

[Steve Macfarlane]

Always tactical, Sutter made sure to get his message across through the media this afternoon.

https://calgaryhockeynow.com/calgary...monton-oilers/

[Roof-Daddy]

I said during the 1st round the only thing that scared me about facing the oilers in round 2 was McDavid and the referees.

That is an inferior team, but with some help from overzealous referees calling too much they get a lot of open ice for McDavid to run rampant and take over a series.

5 on 5 the Flames likely run them over easily.

[djsFlames]

It was atrocious.

Made the first two near unwatchable.

I guarantee you they would've been far better games if we were talking 2-3 penalties aside per game.

I dare the refs to let the games get some flow moving forward.

[Steve Macfarlane]

Just to break down why this is significant even further. Sutter doesn't whine about the officiating being lopsided against the Flames. He says it's bad on both sides.

The crafty part of that is he and everyone else knows that the open ice favours the Oilers skill so if they can keep it at even strength more often, their chances improve.

[badger89]

Good on Sutter for calling it out. The refs have been an embarrassment.

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[FlamesAddiction]

What's the reasoning that the officials change every game? It is to avoid refs getting a bias after a few games?

Part of me thinks it would be beneficial to keep the same refs for an entire series. Teams could adjust to their style better and the refs can also adjust to the kind of series it is. The refs in game 2 seemed a little jittery by calling piddly things and having quick whistles.

[TheSquatch]

I don't want Lee, Brenk, or Lambert for a whole series, thanks.

[WhiteTiger]

What is the average amount of penalties per regular season game? The playoffs should be even less than that, as the play ramps up. As Sutter was noting, the number of penalties right now, for either side, is nucking futs.

[Jbo]

McDavid needs to be called for the holding a stick he does 4-5 times every game for 5-6 seconds at a time. How the refs always miss this is ridiculous

[sarge]

They don’t miss it, they definitely see it, but have been told by Bettman not to call it. It’s so friggin’ ridiculous…

[Jason14h]

Just drop the stick when he grabs it

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Just drop the stick when he grabs it

I'm not sure we can afford taking an embellishment penalty for dropping the stick.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Just drop the stick when he grabs it

He's not always grabbing it. He held it under his arm ....he's not just a top player in da world ....he's a sneaky fargin bastich as Johnny Dangerously once said.
Go back and watch replays you'll see. It's subtle.

[Jason14h]

We’ll yeah it subtle but all they need to do is drop it once . At worse the officials will start watching for it

If it’s so subtle our own players don’t know how do we expect the refs too��

[memphusk]

Its not just this series. Its been all of the playoffs. Thank McDavid and Scheifele for all this horse ####.

[ComixZone]

Hard to believe we waited over three decades to watch the Battle of Referees.

I did not wait three decades to watch the Steve Kozari, Chris Lee, Eric Furlatt, and Wes McCauley show.

Next up? Gord Dwyer and Francois St. Laurent - how exciting!

[memphusk]

I would also like to add that I was quite excited for the playoffs this year. Fans back in every home rink. Pumped up. Then there it is. The game is softer than it has ever been and the reffing has helped that cause. I would come home from work and watch every minute of every game available. Now I may as well watch Murder She Wrote.

[JohnnyB]

Sutter was very tactful and balanced in addressing the issue, and it was a terrible issue last game. The refs really detracted from the quality of play.

If they can't be consistent, they should just get out of the way and not interfere.

[Shazam]

How is Edmonton supposed to get the cup if the refs don't help???