You can call this a not so subtle shot at 2 different entities, one being the National Hockey League and its officials and the other being the San Jose Sharks organization.
Listen, I think even the most die hard of San Jose Sharks fans would be hard pressed to argue at this point in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs that the Sharks have been really lucky thus far in the playoffs. I do not mean just any random kind of luck either, no unfortunately for organizations like the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues that luck has come in the form of some very poor officiating on the ice during these playoffs. It has been so egregious that it is inarguable to suggest that NHL officials have impacted the outcome of at least 2 games with their calls, the infamous Game 7 between the Sharks and Golden Knights and most recently a Western Conference Final game that was decided in overtime by a hand pass from Timo Meier.
Now what is interesting to note about this particular type of luck is that outwardly the Sharks themselves are also quite unhappy about it. No one wants to make a deep run in the playoffs only to have everyone turn around and tell you that you were merely gifted a spot there by incompetent officiating. Inwardly however I strongly suspect that they are very happy with the calls that have gone their way and frankly considering how many calls get missed or made in error in the NHL during a season I don't blame them one bit. That being said, the hate towards the officiating this season has taken on an entirely new level.
It is so bad in fact that even star level players in the National Hockey League are now beginning to speak out about the entire situation, something that you will rarely see under normal circumstances. A new report from Russian hockey insider Igor Eronko of Sports Express is now reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin is the latest to call out the officiating, and by extension the Sharks.
"Evgeni Malkin says he expected to see [the San Jose Sharks] in the finals but he doesn't get why they get help from the officials in those playoffs," said Eronko on Saturday.
It seems like the Sharks may have an uphill battle to climb if they want to earn respect for their playoff run, although I'm sure winning the Stanley Cup would cure any issues they might have regarding how they got there.
