Over the course of this season, the NHL referees have come under major scrutiny. Despite the superior technology available, there have been several debatable decisions made by them, causing an uproar in the NHL world. One such incident occurred during round 2 between the Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a result, NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman debated the bias of the referees toward the Panthers.
In Game 1, Panthers’ Sam Bennett apparently hit goaltender Anthony Stolarz on the head with his elbow. While the referees had a clear view of the incident, they decided not to award any penalty to Bennett. This decision raised many eyebrows, and even the fans were left perplexed by this decision. Thus, Friedman felt that the referees were biased in favor of the Panthers.
During the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman discussed with Kyle Bukauskas how the Florida Panthers benefited from the officials’ blunders. He revealed, “I thought it should have been a penalty. Um, I even got referees who said to me they didn’t think that was a penalty and I was like, You guys have got to be kidding me. Like, that’s a penalty. And what’s interesting was in the Vegas-Edmonton game…”
Further, he went on to add, “Connor Brown got a penalty in the third period for bumping Aiden Hill like it wasn’t really a dirty play or anything like that. He was going through the crease and there was contact and he was trying to score.”
Similarly, many fans also questioned why Bennett didn’t receive any penalty after his aggressive play on the opposition’s goaltender. Additionally, he also didn’t receive any supplemental sanction for his actions. Despite this episode, the Maple Leafs went on to win the game 5-4 to begin the series on a positive note.
However, the Maple Leafs are set to be without Stolarz for the upcoming game later today. The replacements have already been named as Stolarz continues to recover.
Anthony Stolarz set to miss Game 2 against the Florida Panthers
Soon after the hit on his head, the Maple Leafs’ goaltender was sidelined from the game and he proceeded to the bench. A few minutes later, Stolarz vomited there, signaling the need for immediate attention. Subsequently, he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance to get the checkups done. However, there is still suspense on his fitness and he remains sidelined for now.
According to several reports, Joseph Woll is occupying the starter’s net at Maple Leafs morning skate, where Anthony Stolarz is not present. Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby are also on the ice for Toronto.
Further, even as the Maple Leafs coach, Craig Berube, maintained that Stolarz was doing fine, he hasn’t fully recovered yet. With the games coming thick and fast, it remains to be seen if he can make a comeback in the series against the Florida Panthers. For now, the focus shifts to Joseph Woll, who will be the likely starter in place of Stolarz. Can the Maple Leafs continue their winning run in the absence of Stolarz? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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