Oilers coach bluntly addresses concerns about referees in playoffs vs LA Kings
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
NHL referees are almost famously inconsistent now, and Oilers coach Knoblauch admitted exactly that when asked about his concerns this playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers have been a top possession team this playoffs, and yet have the second lowest share of powerplay time so far. It's a vast differential that's hard to explain given the Oilers having the puck more often.
Oilers coach Knoblauch answers concern of massive penalty differential
While speaking to the media today, Coach Knoblauch was presented with this penalty differential. Careful not to criticize the referees too much, Knoblauch admitted the results have been somewhat anomalous, which is something every team deals with.
STAUFFER: Are you surprised that based on the amount of possession time you've had in the offensive zone, that LA has had 50% more powerplays in this series than you?
KNOBLAUCH: There's certainties in life. Death, taxes, and being upset about the referee. Whether you're a coach, a fan, or a player, you're always going to be upset. There's always going to be missed calls, whether they're called against you or not called in your favour.
Overall I think the officiating's done a tremendous job. With the possession and expected goals, I am a little surprised that we haven't had a powerplay advantage in any of these games.
KNOBLAUCH: There's certainties in life. Death, taxes, and being upset about the referee. Whether you're a coach, a fan, or a player, you're always going to be upset. There's always going to be missed calls, whether they're called against you or not called in your favour.
Overall I think the officiating's done a tremendous job. With the possession and expected goals, I am a little surprised that we haven't had a powerplay advantage in any of these games.
Knoblauch really does take the right atttitide here. Although it's ultimately strange that the Oilers haven't had a powerplay advantage in this series, there's no use in complaining and getting on the bad side of the NHL.
Of course there are missed calls on both sides, but there's been multiple egregious missed calls against the Kings in this series. The Oilers have to take it on the chin and make their own luck.
It's a sign of a seasoned playoff team that they can push through whatever challenges they face and still take games over to push a series in their favour. Now, they just need to finish the job in Alberta.
| POLL | ||
MAI 1 | 691 ANSWERS Oilers coach bluntly addresses concerns about referees in playoffs vs LA Kings Do you think the referees have been fair in the Oilers and Kings series? | ||
| Yes | 116 | 16.8 % |
| No | 575 | 83.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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