NHL makes controversial move with referees from BOS/CBJ series

Officials are once again making headlines across the NHL as the working referees and linesmen for Round 3 have been revealed on Thursday morning with the first game between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes just around the corner. 

However, the decision to bring back both Steve Kozari and Kelly Sutherland is now getting some attention from fans seeing that they were the two working officials during Game 6 between the Bruins and the Blue Jackets, in which Charlie McAvoy received just a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head on Columbus’ Josh Anderson. The league later suspended the Bruins’defenseman a game for his high hit on Anderson. 

This decision to bring them back, especially Sutherland who has been criticized for years across the NHL , has got people talking. 

The NHL and the work of the referees have been a gong show since the first round. During the do or die Game 7 between San Jose and Vegas, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was pushed by Cody Eakin. Losing his balance, Pavelski ended up in the way of Paul Stastny, who crushed him brutally on the ice in a pinball effect.He fell hard on his shoulder and head, right on the ice and left the game bloody. 

Eakin was given a major cross-checking penalty and was ejected from the game on a misconduct. The Sharks went on to score four goals on the power-play and completed the comeback to win the game in overtime and the series in seven contests. 

The working officials for round 3 will be Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer, Marc Joannette, Wes McCauley, Dan O’Rourke, Chris Rooney, Korazi and Sutherland, as reported by Scouting the Refs. Tim Peel, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Francois St. Laurent, who have worked during the second round, aren’t coming back for the rest of the championship run. 

Derek Amell, Devin Berg, Scott Cherrey, Greg Devorski, Trent Knorr, Matt MacPherson,  Jonny Murray, Pierre Racicot will be the working linesmen while Michel Cormier, Ryan Gibbons, Brian Murphy, Mark Shewchyk are done for the year. Berg and Knorr are making their first trips to the Conference Finals.

Get ready for a gong show in the third round!