Photo credit: Sportsnet
The Edmonton Oilers are frustrated with how the National Hockey League and its officials have handled the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the first time, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has spoken out about it.
When asked why his team, known for thriving on the power play, couldn't generate the usual number of power play chances they had during the regular season, Knoblauch chose his words carefully to avoid fines from the league. He criticized the inconsistency in officiating between the regular season and the playoffs.
"The NHL sometimes the standard gets changed a little bit," admitted Knoblauch. "They would definitely want to make sure its a penalty, in the regular season maybe some things get let go. That's obviously unfortunate for us, we've got a very good power play and we win a lot of games on the power play."
Knoblauch emphasized he wasn't complaining about unfair treatment against the Oilers specifically but wanted a consistent officiating standard across both the regular season and playoffs.
"That being said I think the standard is the same for both teams, I'm not saying that it's unfair for us but we would like the same standard," added Knoblauch.
He made it clear that he believes the changes in officiating standards between the regular season and the playoffs are detrimental to his team.
"Its unfortunate for us that it is tougher to draw penalties in the playoffs than it is in the regular season," said Knoblauch.
This inconsistency has been a source of frustration for fans and pundits alike, with several officiating controversies already in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Many will agree with Knoblauch that a more consistent officiating standard would be appreciated.
As seen on hockeyfeed
Kris Knoblauch sounds off on officiating in WCF.
Kris Knoblauch sounds off on officiating in WCF.
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