Calgary head coach Bill Peters wasn’t happy with the on-ice performance he saw in the Flames’ 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
His team? Oh, they were fine.
Peters took issue with the officiating.
“They were getting hot there weren’t they?” Peters said after the game. “They had a lot of momentum going, the refs.”
Peters challenged a late whistle that came with the Flames on a 2-0, facing an empty net. Just moments prior, the puck was caught on the outside of the Flames’ net. Toronto thought they’d scored on the play. Zach Hyman raised his hands in celebration, the goal horn sounded, and the fans thought the game was tied at two.
The puck, though, never went in. It sat on the outside of the net.
With the puck on the netting for approximately three seconds, a whistle would have been appropriate.
85.2 Puck Unplayable – When the puck becomes lodged in the netting on the outside of either goal so as to make it unplayable, or if it is “frozen” between opposing players intentionally or otherwise, the Referee shall stop the play.
The puck may be played off the goal netting by either team. However, should the puck remain on the goal netting for more than three (3) seconds, play shall be stopped.
Instead, the puck was knocked free before play was stopped. Referee Jake Brenk was skating around the net, whistle raised, as the Leafs celebrated as the puck popped free. Calgary got to the loose puck and headed up ice, only to be stopped by the official’s whistle.
Referees Trevor Hanson and Jake Brenk huddled with linesmen James Tobias and Steve Miller, ultimately opting to drop the puck at center ice.
“It’ll be an interesting explanation tomorrow to our general manger from the league,” said Peters. “Then we’ll enlighten the rest of the world on what really happened.”
Peters also took issue with an interference call on Mark Giordano that gave the Leafs a 5-on-3. Toronto converted on the power play, cutting the Calgary lead to 2-1 with 3:53 remaining.
Calgary’s Mark Giordano picks up an interference penalty late in the third period of Monday night’s game between the Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs
“I’m not sure about the 5-on-3 call [on Giordano]. I’m not sure about the [quick] whistle and then if they would have called the icing that didn’t cross the red line that would have made a trifecta.”
In the waning seconds of the game, the puck rolled toward the Toronto goal line. Veteran linesman Steve Miller, right on top of the play, correctly waved off the icing.
“The only thing we were waiting for was the one that didn’t go over the red line at the end, the ‘almost- icing,’” Peters said. “If they would have called that they would have been 3-for-3.”
Instead, Calgary’s Michael Frolik intercepted a pass and fired it into the empty net to seal the deal for the Calgary Flames, who left the ice with a 3-1 win… and a very frustrated coach.
