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Boston Bruins: Let’s talk about the Zebras

By Sam Minton

BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins disputes a slashing call during the second period of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on May 2, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins disputes a slashing call during the second period of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on May 2, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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The officiating has been horrible in round two. If the Boston Bruins want to win the series it looks like they are going to have to defeat two opponents.

It is unfair to blame the Boston Bruins losses entirely on the officials, but that isn’t stopping me. The officiating has been absolutely horrible so far in round 2. There is no consistency, and the referees have started to affect the Bruins play.

The refs have made some terrible decisions. On Brad Marchand’s breakaway in game 2 he was clearly slashed and deserved a penalty shot. The refs must have been looking at the stands because they didn’t even call a penalty. Then on Wednesday night Marchand was called for a slashing penalty and he was not happy with the call.

"“It’s just funny how inconsistent they are,” Marchand said. “A slashing penalty is the same thing that I had on a breakaway last game, was 3-2. A little consistency would be nice.”"

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Also on the slashing front there was the horrible call on Torey Krug in game 2. His stick hit the guy’s pads not his hands. The inconsistency in the calls is atrocious.

What is going on in the faceoff circle?

Now let’s talk about faceoffs. Patrice Bergeron is getting kicked out of faceoffs at an alarming rate. This is a recent issue that started in round 1. Bergeron is the best faceoff guy in the NHL. It seems like he now has a target on his back. Now you would think that the refs would let Bergeron know what he was doing wrong, but apparently, that is not happening.

"“It’s a bit of a head scratcher once and awhile, to be honest with you,” Bergeron said. “But like I said in the first series, it’s something that I need to bear down. I’ve been asking a lot of questions, I don’t seem to get the answers, so it’s up to me to adjust and be better.“I don’t know,” Bergeron said. “To be honest with you, I’m not worried about it. I’m not trying to figure out what’s going on. I guess it’s up to me to find a way and adjust and adapt and talk to the linesmen a little bit more to understand what’s going on and at the end of the day, I need to win draws.”"

Bergeron is now struggling to win faceoffs because he is afraid he is going to get kicked out. The officiating isn’t the reason the Bruins have lost, but they are adding another obstacle.

Next: It is time for Ryan Donato to play

The officiating has been horrible across the board. There were terrible calls in every single series, but it has been especially bad for the Bruins. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the greatest event in sports. The officiating is making a mockery of the whole thing. Hopefully, the NHL will respond and the officiating will improve and the calls will at least be more consistent.

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