Boston Bruins: Team treading water after Game 5 loss
By Connor Floyd
Bruce Cassidy calls out the officiating, gets fined $25,000
Bruce Cassidy was in rare form in his postgame press conference Monday night. The Bruins players and staff were clearly frustrated by what was a questionably officiated game.
"Cassidy ripped the Islanders and the officials, saying “It’s a very well-respected management and coaching staff over there. But they sell a narrative over there that they’re the New York Saints rather than the New York Islanders.” Cassidy continued, ” The calls – the exact calls – that are getting called on us do not get called on them, and I don’t know why.” He went on to list specific examples of blown calls, saying “You’ve got continuous high-sticks every game. The exact same high-sticks. [Patrice Bergeron] and Brock Nelson behind the net, the one that comes up on [Craig] Smith, [Brad Marchand] got called for that in Game 1. I could go on and on… At the end of the day – the similar plays – they need to be penalized on those plays.”"
You can argue whether or not the Bruins played -more specifically, defended – well enough in Game 5 to win, but that’s not Cassidy’s point. Sure, the Bruins penalty kill was abysmal on Monday night, riddled with poor attempts to clear, allowing the Islanders far too much space to set up a chance, and losing battles in the crease.
But the Bruins should never have been shorthanded to begin with, in at least two of the three power play goals the Islanders had.
Those calls are a whole lot easier to stomach when they’re going both ways, too. Which they weren’t. It’s pretty clear what Cassidy wants, and that’s consistency. If the Bruins are getting called for a high-stick, the Islanders should be too.
The Bruins had stretches where they dominated the Islanders, particularly at the beginning of the first period and the end of the third. The reason the refs stood out like a sore thumb in this game is because they totally dictated the flow and momentum of the game starting with the Islanders first power play.
We’ll see if Cassidy’s comments and accompanying fine are enough to get a more balanced approach from the refs on Wednesday night.