Kris Knoblauch sounds off on officiating in WCF.
Kris Knoblauch discusses the officiating and why it has been a problem for his team in the playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers are not pleased with how the National Hockey League and its officials have conducted themselves in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and now for the first time Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch is speaking out about it.
Knoblauch was asked about why his team, a team that thrives on the power play, was unable to generate the kind of power play chances they normally do during the course of the regular season. Knoblauch pondered the question a little, choosing his words carefully to avoid any potential fines from the league, and was critical of how the NHL conducts itself during the regular season and the playoffs.
"The NHL sometimes the standard gets changed a little bit," admitted Knoblauch. "They would definitely want to make sure its a penalty, in the regular season maybe some things get let go. That's obviously unfortunate for us, we've got a very good power play and we win a lot of games on the power play."
To be fair to Knoblauch here he wasn't complaining of unfair treatment against the Oilers, but was instead suggesting that the officiating standard should remain consistent across the regular season and the playoffs.
"That being said I think the standard is the same for both teams, I'm not saying that it's unfair for us but we would like the same standard," added Knoblauch.
The Oilers head coach left no doubt about the fact that he believes the changes in officiating between the regular season and the playoffs are detrimental to his team.
"Its unfortunate for us that it is tougher to draw penalties in the playoffs than it is in the regular season," said Knoblauch.
It is a source of frustration for fans and pundits alike with several officiating controversies in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs already, and I think many will agree with Knoblauch here that a more consistent officiating standard would be appreciated.
