What the Bruins had to say about the controversial officiating from Game 4
"It’s unfortunate they can’t get it right.”
“I think I heard someone say, ‘Suck it up and play.'”
Bruce Cassidy didn’t seem offended by a harsh directive he overheard during the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday night.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Cassidy told reporters after Boston’s crushing defeat that gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 series lead. “We’re trying to suck it up and play.”
The consistently controversial officiating, however, is complicating the otherwise relatively straightforward task. During Game 4, Boston was upset with two third-period calls: the hooking penalty against Bruins forward Noel Acciari for a hit on defenseman Victor Hedman and the lack of penalty against Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for grabbing defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
Cassidy said the team, unsurprisingly, discourages players from dwelling on the refs’ decisions, but noted the questionable calls are starting to pile up.
“We’re human beings,” he said. “It’s game after game after game. To me, the calls — you look at the Acciari penalty — it’s unbelievable.”
Cassidy was emphatic in his explanation on why Acciari’s hit was not an infraction, as he called out the officials for not being on top of the call.
“The league gives you a directive at the start of the year that if you’re going to go at the stick, you got to go under the stick and not on the hands or over top the hands,” he said. “[Acciari] goes under the stick a foot from [Hedman’s] hands — and you got a 6-foot-5 guy that I think really sold it.”
The Bruins managed to score a short-handed goal during the power play awarded to Tampa Bay for the Acciari penalty. As Cassidy put it, “you almost think there’s a little karma involved.” Left winger Brad Marchand connected with center Patrice Bergeron to give Boston a 3-2 lead.
Patrice Bergeron. Shorthanded. Clutch. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/aUc0yOwzIF
— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2018
The non-call, on the other hand, benefitted the Lightning, who were able to tie the game with a goal from center Steven Stamkos over halfway through the third period. Cassidy said the lack of penalty on Kucherov “impacted the play directly.”
“It looked like he reached around to hold [McAvoy] down,” he said. “Charlie’s a strong guy, but it wasn’t called. That’s that. There’s nothing you can do about it after, but keep playing.”
Marchand — who was also critical of the officials after Game 3 — said Kucherov blatantly grabbed McAvoy’s shoulder.
Brad Marchand on the refs’ no-call before the Lightning’s game-tying goal: “It’s unfortunate they can’t get it right.” pic.twitter.com/JyL4GsCY6X
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) May 5, 2018
McAvoy told reporters he didn’t get an explanation for the non-call, adding he doesn’t have “anything to say about the officiating.” Kucherov didn’t have much to say either, other than the fact that he was pleased the play fell in Tampa Bay’s favor.
“We scored a goal, and whether I can say it’s a penalty of not, the ref thought it wasn’t a penalty and that was great for us,” he said.
Cassidy told reporters the team, regardless of whether players agree with the calls, has to “find a way” to play through the officiating.
