Controversial call on Saturday sparks accusations of favoritism in the NHL.

The National Hockey League is really not doing itself or it's officials any favors here.

There is a major controversy brewing on Saturday night after a coach's challenge during a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers has produced a rather bizarre result. That challenge came courtesy of Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason after he tried to argue that Panthers forward Brad Marchand had touched the puck with his hand which in turn led to a teammate receiving that puck and scoring a goal.

Evason and the Blue Jackets argued that there should be no goal on the play, likely as a direct result of another controversial call this week. Earlier in the week Lightning forward Brandon Hagel tried to protect himself from a puck coming in his direction and touched that puck with his hand in his attempt to shield himself. In that instance the league determined that Hagel's actions rose to the level of a hand pass and pulled a goal off the board, with Evason no doubt expecting to see the same result after his coach's challenge.

Here's a look the actions from Hagel that caused the goal to be refused:

As you can see in the replay from today's controversial call, Marchand touches the puck in a similar manner but this time around the league ruled that the goal should stand.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that fans are irate as a result of the seemingly inconsistent calls, with Friedman also sharing a close up look at the replay of Marchand touching the puck. You can see that clip just below:

Did the NHL make the right call in both these situations? Do you feel there are inconsistencies in the way the game's are officiated? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.