Referee caught on mic telling Panthers player to retaliate with cross checks
In a recent clip surfacing online from the Panthers and Rangers series, a referee directly tells Sam Bennett to cross check Alexis Lafreniere.
»Don't do that okay, you can cross check. He gave you a shot, give him one back. One back! Not two. Give him a good one.»
After a scrum along the boards, a referee skates away with Bennett and Lafreniere, telling Bennett to get a quick shot of revenge in with a cross check, and move on.
Of course it's a little against the rules, but this is classic playoff justice for the NHL. Nobody wants to see an excessive amount of penalties called for pot shots after the whistle, but it needs to go both ways. Really, the referee's penalty for this situation was a cross check in return instead of a two minute minor - and it was likely the right call.
This year's Florida Panthers kind of embodies their fan animal of the Rat. Between Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Nick Cousins, and so much more, the Panthers excel when they're playing up to their pest attitude. The Oilers may have a few of their own pests too in Corey Perry and Evander Kane, but they haven't seen a team this physical yet in the playoffs. On the other hand, the Florida Panthers haven't seen a team as offensively skilled as the Edmonton Oilers.
Tomorrow night in Florida, the highly anticipated Stanley Cup Final will begin. Everyone will be watching to see if Edmonton can bring the Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993.
| POLL | ||
Do you think referees should call playoff games as is, or be more lenient with penalties? | ||
| Call the same amount as regular season | 273 | 75.8 % |
| Don't call everything, play 5 on 5 | 68 | 18.9 % |
| See Results | 19 | 5.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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