The Capitals lost the first game of the series against the Rangers without a chance. However, the match was remembered not only for the goals and dangerous moments, but also for the controversial, or even scandalous, refereeing decisions. The referees immediately came to the fore in several important episodes. What happened?
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The first moment came in the second half, when the score was already 1:0 in favor of the Rangers. Home forward Alexi Lafreniere used hard force against Washington defender Vincent Iorio. Due to the collision, the visiting hockey player almost fell face-first into the fences.
And a couple of seconds later Artemy Panarin made the score 2-0. The referees counted the goal.
You can watch the video on the official NHL website. Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP.
Iorio, writhing in pain, had difficulty getting off the ice, eventually going straight to the locker room and never appearing on the ice again. Monumental Sports Network journalist Alan May said at halftime: “If you read his lips, he seemed to say, ‘It clicked.’
Of course, the moment turned out to be extremely controversial, largely due to the fact that the Rangers scored the winning goal afterwards. Just a week ago a similar episode occurred in the game against Tampa. At that time we quoted an excerpt from the rules (Part 41.1): “A pushing boards penalty will be imposed on any player who pushes or uses force against an opponent in such a way as to cause a hard or dangerous hit or other blow. interaction with boards of that nature. The severity of the penalty, depending on the nature of the interaction with the board, must be determined by the referee.” If we analyze the moment according to what the code says, then for this push on board Lafreniere should have received an expulsion, since the hit caused an injury to the opponent. The number of minutes is at the discretion of the referee But it was definitely necessary to impose a fine.
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Washington coach Spencer Carbery talked about Lafreniere’s power move after the game: “It was close. He was on the edge, right? Iorio is a young player. I worry about him. He put himself in a difficult situation. “I probably should have gotten rid of the record quickly.”
So this point, although controversial, apparently the judges made a mistake.
The second episode occurred just two minutes later.
In the 27th minute, the Rangers won a throw-in in the capital zone, Barclay Goodrow passed it to Jimmy Vesey, who shot accurately and scored the third goal. Where is the violation here? Again, just a couple of seconds before dialing.
After winning a confrontation, Rangers tough guy Matt Rempe, in a fight with Washington forward Beck Malensteen, hit him right in the jaw with his elbow! Of course, it is difficult to see on video, but one of the replays clearly shows how the Canadian from New York beats his compatriot from the capital.
You can watch the video on the official NHL website. Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP.
The judges even reconsidered this point. But they decided not to disallow the goal. The referees clearly made a mistake on this point. Rempe should have had his two minutes for a clean (or rather dirty) elbow.
Rempe elbows Malensteen in the head.
Photo: Frame of the transmission.
Caps defense leader John Carlson spoke loudly to the referees at the time. The discontent was clearly manifested on social networks.
Russian Machine Never Breaks journalist Ian Oland released several critical messages.
“Matt Rempe elbowed Beck Malensteen in the head. No elimination. The Rangers score a second later. “Good” job by the judges.
Malensteen was angry as he sat on the Capitals’ bench and raised his elbow, imitating what Rempe had done.
After the referees whistled in the first half, they let things slide in the second,” Öland wrote.
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“Beck Malenstine got elbowed in the face by Matt Rempe. To me, it was a bad move whether it was an intentional elbow or a height difference issue, but the Caps definitely feel like they missed a foul here,” Washington Post reporter Bailey Johnson concluded.
It all ended in a completely comical way.
In the 52nd minute, Alexander Ovechkin burst into the Rangers’ zone, picked up the puck and abruptly abandoned home defenseman Adam Fox. He, however, caught the Washington captain’s leg with his skate and threw it to the ice.
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After this, Ovechkin became furious. He first vented his anger at the door of the courtroom and then said something out loud to the judges. And you can understand it. Although this episode did not result in a lost goal, the referees botched an obvious play that deprived Washington of a dangerous opportunity when the score was 1:3.
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Of course, the capitals should blame themselves first and foremost for the defeat. They played badly. However, a whole series of refereeing errors cannot be denied, after which the Rangers scored twice (!). It was after the referees’ failed actions that New York scored the decisive goal and ended any chance of a Washington comeback. The referees played a very, very weak game and helped the Washington players dig their own grave and pave the way for an early exit from the playoffs.
