Jack Todd: Habs plagued by inconsistent officiating this season - Montreal Gazette

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The Canadiens lost a hockey game Saturday night, 2-0 to the Calgary Flames.

It’s going to happen. It’s a long season. Six games longer than it was in 1944-45, when Rocket Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games.

The losses you can accept. The shambolic officiating — not so much.

On a night filled with cheap penalty calls, matters came to a head when the Flames’ Dillon Dube went high on Jesperi Kotkaniemi, bloodying the young centreman’s nose and putting him at risk of another concussion.

Kotkaniemi was just turning toward Dube when the Calgary forward leaped into the hit.

There was a moment of confusion as players thought the whistle had blown and Ben Chiarot started to go after Dube. When the whistle finally blew, there was a brief grapple with Shea Weber — leading to Weber getting a roughing call, while Dube was given a free pass by the referees for a dangerous hit to the head.

That the no-call on Dube came on a night when the officials were calling every minor hook, tap and phantom trip was all the more galling, especially when it came on the heels of the hit Tyler Myers delivered to the noggin of Joel Armia.

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2021-01-31 21:47:35Z
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