Martin St-Louis and Cole Caufield Send a Clear Message to the NHL After Controversial Loss to the Oilers
The Montreal Canadiens were leading 5-3 in the third period, but a series of very questionable penalties quickly turned everything around in Edmonton.
In the end, the Habs fell 6-5 to the Oilers in a game where the referees' work has everyone talking...
What was supposed to be a normal game turned into a real battle between the Canadiens and the referees.
And this time, even coach Martin St-Louis lost his patience after the game.
Martin St-Louis Sends a Direct Message to the NHL After the Game Against the Oilers
After the game, the Canadiens' head coach didn't hide his frustration:
"As coaches, we always watch video to improve. I hope the league goes through the same process." - Martin St-Louis
A sarcastic remark, but a clever way to get his message across.
It all started when Josh Anderson received a very questionable penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Of course, we don't know exactly what he said, but it's very rare to see players penalized for that.
That decision allowed the Oilers to get back into the game with a PP goal by McDavid.
Even forward Cole Caufield didn't hide his frustration after the loss, taking direct aim at the officials... and hopefully, it won't come back to haunt him with a sanction from the league.
"The refs kind of took over the game there and kudos to them for winning it."
Cole Caufield on the officiating in Thursday night's game.
Cole Caufield on the officiating in Thursday night's game.
For his part, St-Louis emphasized that his team didn't give anything away for free.
"At 5-on-5, we played one of our most complete games of the season." - MSL
According to RDS, the Habs' coach still hasn't received an official explanation from the NHL regarding Anderson's penalty.
Even Brendan Gallagher confirmed that the referees admitted to making a mistake on Juraj Slafkovsky's penalty earlier in the game.
"They said it wasn't a penalty. It's an emotional game, but you have to understand the context."
In my opinion, I think St-Louis was right to call out an unfair situation, even if he might receive a sanction for it.
And honestly, many Canadiens fans - myself included - seem to feel exactly the same way he does.
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