The referees who made the controversial call in Game 7 between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks will not be moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The news broke this morning on ScoutingTheRefs.com. The referees have been identified as Eric Furlatt and Dan O'Halloran.
Many fans blame the call for killing the Golden Knight's momentum and ultimately causing them to lose the game. The Golden Knights were leading 3-0 at the time of the call. After the call, the Sharks were able to score four goals and then won the game in overtime.
According to ESPN, controversy stemmed from the fact that neither ref initially signaled for a penalty when Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was cross-checked by VGK forward Cody Eakin. Pavelski fell and hit his head on the ice, causing it to bleed. The call was not made until after officials huddled while Pavelski was being treated on the ice. Eakin was then given a major penalty and a game misconduct.
It's not just the fans that believe the call resulted in a loss for the Golden Knights. Forward Jonathan Marchessault was also vocal about the call after the game. VGK coach Gerard Gallant also expressed his displeasure.
In addition, General Manager George said during a press conference on Thursday morning at City National Arena that the National Hockey League reached out and apologize, admitting that the call was a mistake.
#Vegas @GoldenKnights GM George McPhee - “The league reached out and did apologize.” about the call. @NHL @KTNV pic.twitter.com/oys3tiMleX
— Jason Dinant KTNV (@JasonDinant) April 25, 2019
The NHL chooses which referees advance in the playoffs. Scouting the Refs says that O'Halloran has not missed a final round in a decade.
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