NHL explains controversial penalty call on Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson was penalized for charging, which caused Canucks fans to throw their drinks on the ice in protest.
Now, the NHL is out trying to explain the actual nature of the penalty. Visually, it was bizarre that Pettersson was called for charging while standing still and throwing a reverse hit, but according to Elliotte Friedman, Ron MacLean, and plenty others - the charging penalty applies to any player leaving their feet to make a check.
»Charging (Rule 42.1): A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates, jumps into or charges an opponent in any manner.»
In all honesty, the officiating was absolutely horrendous on both sides of last night's game. Viewers from all walks of hockey commented on the inconsistency, and brutal calls and non calls that affected the momentum and swings of the game.
The NHL's explanation for the penalty doesn't even feel like it got justice for this particular play. Still, it's not just this play in a vacuum, but the way the entire series has been officiated. Players from both teams are diving for penalties, the referees are calling infractions randomly to keep the calls relatively even, and in the end the game is much too influenced by the referees. When fans on both sides are criticizing the referees, something went really wrong.
With the Oilers now backed into an elimination situation in game 6 on Saturday, hopefully the referees won't be much of a topic of discussion - and only the play on the ice dictates the outcome of the game.
| POLL | ||
Did you think this should've been a penalty on Elias Pettersson? | ||
| Yes, it was a penalty | 268 | 35.8 % |
| No, it wasn't a penalty | 443 | 59.2 % |
| See Results | 37 | 4.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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