BOSTON — The NHL can’t go back and fix the egregious no-call on Tyler Bozak for tripping Noel Acciari, but the absolute least they can do is take accountability for it.
Well…
#NHL svp + dir of officiating Stephen Walkom to pool reporter on Bozak/Acciari:
"We don't make comments on judgment calls within games. There are hundreds of judgment calls in every game. The official on the play, he viewed it and he didn't view it as a penalty at the time."
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 7, 2019
Curious what that even means? Us too.
In case you missed it, with the Boston Bruins trailing Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final 1-0 in the third period, Acciari tried to carry the puck out of Boston’s defensive zone. Acciari quite clearly was tripped from behind by Bozak, but no call was made. The resulting loose puck made its way to Ryan O’Reilly, who found David Perron, who ultimately scored what proved to be the game-winner in Boston’s 2-1 loss.
Acciari voiced his displeasure with the no-call, and so too did Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Look, the Bruins only played one good period of hockey Thursday night, and weren’t totally deserving of the win. But the reality is that the decision to swallow the whistle there did impact the game. Instead of going on the power-play with a chance to tie, the Bruins found themselves in a 2-0 hole in an absolutely massive game.
While acknowledging that the NHL understandably was looking out for its own keister by not taking a side afterwards, giving such a non-answer is borderline reprehensible.
Using Walkom’s logic, every call technically a judgement call. Even if you go purely by the book, Bozak committed a penalty, so it should have been called. It may have been a judgement call to not blow the whistle, but it was the wrong decision. So regardless, the officials missed it — just admit it, wear it and try to move on.
The Blues fell victim last round of a brutal no-call, being on the wrong end of the the infamous “hand pass” game. They responded well to it and are one win away from claiming the Stanley Cup Final because of it.
Now it’s the Bruins turn to see if they can overcome this.
