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NHL apologizes to Golden Knights for controversial penalty call

NHL apologizes to Golden Knights for controversial penalty call

Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was littered with controversial calls, leaving fans, coaches, and players wondering what on earth qualifies as goalie interference, let alone what calls for major penalties and suspension.

Now as a result, as we roll into Round 2, a few notable officials will be left behind.

Game 2 of the Leafs-Bruins matchup was a doozy. You may remember an enraged Nazem Kadri crosschecking the head of Jake DeBrusk after the game escalated into a dangerous display of hockey?

Well, both referees — Brad Meier and Trevor Hanson — have not been selected to continue into the second round.

Meanwhile, Dan O’Halloran and Eric Furlatt — the officials of Game 7 between San Jose and Vegas — are also on the chopping block after a very questionable major penalty call.

San Jose completed one of the most epic comebacks of all time as a result of the five-minute major assessed to the Golden Knights’ Cody Eakin, scoring four times on the ensuring power play before winning Game 7 in overtime.

It’s the first time in more than a decade that O’Halloran will miss the Conference Final.

The call was so detrimental that the NHL apparently reached out to apologize to Vegas GM George McPhee.

No public statements have been made by the NHL regarding the apology, and Vegas fans are not likely to forget the mistake anytime soon.

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