NHL "Playoff" Hockey

[chuckcouples]

Is anyone else completely done with watching "playoff" hockey? I can't stand the direction the NHL offices are pushing the officials to take. I watched every game in the Jets-Oilers series, and parts of lots of other games in many other series and I am not watching the Game 7 between the Knights and the Wild. In the last 2 minutes of the 2nd period, there were at least 4 penalties that were not called and it's infuriating. Bjugstad high sticked in the face, Suter slashing a Vegas forward's stick out of his hands, Dumba with a massive hook behind his own net and one other that I can't remember anymore.

It's not even hockey any more and I have shut the game off and am not likely to watch it anymore this year. The NHL has a rule book so I have no idea why they just throw it out the window in the playoffs. I want to watch skill (offense, defense, skating, passing, defending, good body position, etc), I don't want to see which team can hook, hold, interfere, etc better.

I know playoff hockey has always been tighter checking and more physical but this year, for whatever reason, the cheating and non-calls is way worse than it's been since before 2005. NHL players are the best hockey players in the world and they can quickly adapt to how the game is being called. They have figured out that refs are not calling anything so the game's are getting worse as we progress.

I'm done with it. Am I the only one who feels like this?

[Daydream Nation]

Is anyone else completely done with watching "playoff" hockey? I can't stand the direction the NHL offices are pushing the officials to take. I watched every game in the Jets-Oilers series, and parts of lots of other games in many other series and I am not watching the Game 7 between the Knights and the Wild. In the last 2 minutes of the 2nd period, there were at least 4 penalties that were not called and it's infuriating. Bjugstad high sticked in the face, Suter slashing a Vegas forward's stick out of his hands, Dumba with a massive hook behind his own net and one other that I can't remember anymore.

It's not even hockey any more and I have shut the game off and am not likely to watch it anymore this year. The NHL has a rule book so I have no idea why they just throw it out the window in the playoffs. I want to watch skill (offense, defense, skating, passing, defending, good body position, etc), I don't want to see which team can hook, hold, interfere, etc better.

I know playoff hockey has always been tighter checking and more physical but this year, for whatever reason, the cheating and non-calls is way worse than it's been since before 2005. NHL players are the best hockey players in the world and they can quickly adapt to how the game is being called. They have figured out that refs are not calling anything so the game's are getting worse as we progress.

I'm done with it. Am I the only one who feels like this?

I consistently say to myself at some point every night as I am watching the playoffs, "God I love playoff hockey." So no, I am not done with it. I definitely understand your point about the referees and calls in the playoffs but it doesn't impact my interest in the game.

[Feenom]

I understand your pain but I feel like this has been happening for a long time. I don’t remember this as much in the 80’s and 90’s but I’d say within the last 20 years or so I found myself adapting to the “playoff reffing”. But I get it.

[audiopile]

I dunno what it is, if its lack of fans, corona virus, modified structure, stupid social media dramas, officiating controversies and other bonehead NHL issues but I am not really that interested this year. Hardly watched a game. Previous years (even last year) I was all about "playoff hockey". Round 2 being my favorite. Urgh. This year particularly uninspiring being a fan.

[PenguinHunter]

Tell me about it!!

I noticed this last year in the playoffs in all the Islanders series.

And Barry Trotz, The Islanders system and their 4th line are the best at adapting and increasing the clutching and grabbing when the refs are not calling anything!!!

[Daydream Nation]

On this topic, Dom L wrote an outstanding article about refs in the playoffs in the Athletic.

[ericdaoust]

I'm loving the games with fans. Habs game last night was WILD for just 2500 fans. The bits I saw from the Bruins game were awesome too.

- - - Updated - - -

Tell me about it!!

I noticed this last year in the playoffs in all the Islanders series.

And Barry Trotz, The Islanders system and their 4th line are the best at adapting and increasing the clutching and grabbing when the refs are not calling anything!!!

They're reading the room and playing accordingly

[2014olympicgold]

"Game 82" vs "Game 83" shouldn't have different rulebooks and it's BS it's a thing people have accepted.

[metaldude26]

No, I still love playoff hockey in spite of the flaws. I tend to think that the pressure and attention only magnify the focus on the inconsistent reffing we always get. McDavid gets reffed differently than other players and it's not just in the playoffs. He gets jet-skied all season and because he's strong enough to push through the obstruction it's just a play-on, but weaker guys (I always highlight Elias Pettersson for this) draw more calls because they don't have the same strength to push through.

I was particularly frustrated in the Oilers-Jets series because to my extremely biased eye, it looked like the Oilers knew that getting into a powerplay match vs the Jets would end poorly for them, much like it did against Chicago last season and thus were playing to avoid penalties, while the Jets seemed more than happy to push the limits. You aren't going to help your cause if you aren't pushing the limits as well.

The biggest issue with all of this is that in hockey it doesn't matter if one team is playing cleaner than the other the penalties have to be as close to 50/50 as possible so you end up with this inconsistent standard.

[doulos]

The key is to consider regular season hockey and playoff hockey to be slightly different sports with different rule sets - like rugby, and australian rules rugby. The team that can successfully build a roster that is able to play well within both rulesets does well. Any team that does not plan ahead for the different set of rules in the playoffs is not doing their job correctly.

[forumname]

The key is to consider regular season hockey and playoff hockey to be slightly different sports with different rule sets - like rugby, and australian rules rugby. The team that can successfully build a roster that is able to play well within both rulesets does well. Any team that does not plan ahead for the different set of rules in the playoffs is not doing their job correctly.

Ya but is that the way it should be? I don't think so.

[PenguinHunter]

Ya but is that the way it should be? I don't think so.

Nope it is not the way it should be... any no one should accept that!!

However it is a lot easier to enjoy the playoffs when you have no vested interest - that way the inconsistency in the reffing can be overlooked easier.

[2014olympicgold]

Nope it is not the way it should be... any no one should accept that!!

However it is a lot easier to enjoy the playoffs when you have no vested interest - that way the inconsistency in the reffing can be overlooked easier.

Reffing in the NHL is infuriating in the regular season if you know what a penalty actually is. It's mind blowing in the playoffs what gets let go.

The thing I've never gotten is that the NHL post-lockout decided to increase scoring to bring in fans. They called interference on dump ins all the time, slashing/hooking/holding was actually called. All to increase scoring to bring in fans. They, to a point, continue that now in the regular season. But when their stage is set for marketing, they choose to ref like it's 1990 but not allow fighting, the thing that can be fun for non-hockey fans to watch.

[rataylor22]

Yes, it's a mickey mouse league with mickey mouse leadership. It's consistently losing popularity comparatively to most other major sports and it's easy to see why. That trend will continue to happen until there is a significant change in the leadership and gatekeepers of the game, which is unlikely to happen any time soon.

[chuckcouples]

Has anyone else joined me in being done watching playoff hockey due to how terrible the officiating has been?

From what I've read, it's getting worse instead of better.