It wouldn’t be a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs without a little controversy, right?
NHL fans have seen plenty of questionable calls on the ice throughout the first-round series. While some had zero effect on the outcome of the game, others changed it drastically.
At least, that’s what Jonathan Marchessault believes happened in the Vegas Golden Knights’ Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
Vegas had a comfortable, three-goal lead in the third period and looked destined for the second round. Then all hell broke loose.
Cody Eakin was assessed a five-minute major and ultimately was ejected from the game after he was whistled for a cross-check on Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. San Jose rallied and scored four unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead.
Marchessault tied the game for the Knights in the final minute to send the game to overtime, where the Sharks ultimately sealed the improbable comeback. But if that cross-checking penalty was a minor and not a major, Marchessault said the outcome could have been completely different.
(The rant comes with a NSFW warning)
“It’s a f—ing joke. To call five minutes for that? It changed the whole outcome of the game,” Marchessault said, via ESPN. “Like, seriously, what is that? It’s so disappointing. The game’s not even close. It’s 3-0. Call a (two-minute minor)? OK. But a five? For something you don’t even see? You just call the outcome. It’s a f—ing joke. It’s embarrassing. That’s what it is.
“If it was stolen? Yeah. It was 3-0, with 10 or 12 minutes left,” Marchessault told ESPN when asked if he thought the referees had stolen the game. “They scored four goal(s) on the power play. They came clutch. They feed off the bad call, they come back, 4-3, and get the big goal in overtime. You have to give them credit at some point. They’re a great hockey team. But it’s embarrassing.”
It’s certainly a tough way to end your NHL season, but Vegas did have a three-goal lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Blaming the refs only can go so far.
