Unpredictable1
Registered User
It's not refs or the league fixing games. The ref are just incompetent.
Refs focus way too much on calling a "fair" game and managing the flow of the game. You can't call every infraction because the entire game would be special teams, but you need to have a set standard that you use for this game. If you're letting certain things go you have to keep that standard. What we see far too often is refs letting tons of things go and then calling some random minor infraction out of nowhere.
And I get swallowing the whistle in the playoffs, but Pittsburgh only got called for 1 penalty in 5 and a half periods - 0 in the final 5 periods. Matheson commits interference and obstruction every single shift he's out there, Crosby was slashing after the whistle, Guentzel punching Kreider and messing with Miller. Plenty of opportunities for them to get called for another penalty. But then the refs don't wanna call it because it's a tied game and they don't want to control the outcome of the game by calling a penalty but they end up controlling the outcome of the game by not calling the penalty. But Pittsburgh got a 5v3 after we went up 3-2 on a very soft call that Guentzel clearly sold hard, do they get that call if they're winning 3-2? Probably not. This is why game management is so stupid.
Set your standard early in the game and the players will adjust to your standard and then you consistently call the game based on your standard regardless of score. That's all fans want, consistency.
This post is bang on the money.