NHL changes the officials for the Leafs/Blue Jackets game.

Let the conspiracy theories begin.

I am telling you right now if there are some fishy calls in tonight's Game 5 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets then there will be fans that will be asking questions about this decision from the league. The National Hockey League has decided to shake things up a little bit in the 5th and final game of the series by making a change to the officiating crew that will oversee the game this evening. Specifically the league has decided to insert referees Wes McCauley and Kevin Pollock for this one and the decision is a curious one if only because it will be the first time that the two officials have been paired together in these playoffs. You would think that a change of this nature would come at the start of the series but no doubt the league has its own motivations for doing so. The two referees who would have normally been scheduled in the rotation would have been Eric Furlatt and Trevor Hanson.

Making the move even more curious is the fact that the game will also feature a new pairing of linesmen with Greg Devorski and Matt MacPherson also pairing up for the first time is these Stanley Cup Playoffs as well. There have been a ton of penalties called during the opening rounds of the playoffs and I have to wonder if the league has sent these 4 officials out with specific instructions on how to manage tonight's game, and if so I must admit I would be extremely curious to know what those instructions entail. 

Like many of you I will be glued to the screen for this one, so we will find out in short order.