Flames Fall 0-3 in Series
The players on the ice in this series aren’t the only ones making the decisions. In games 1 and 2 you had some curious officiating, and even the need for league officials to step in for goal reviews. Tonight, you can’t blame the refs, Calgary had all the powerplays, but you had one of the most incredulous non-no-goal calls since the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
Ahead by two late, Anaheim drew within one on an obvious tip from a high stick. What came after blew the lid off of the ‘Dome. High sticking is contacting the puck above four feet where the crossbar is. Nate Thompson had to raise his stick to his SHOULDERS in order to make the tip, but league officials in Toronto said ‘insufficient evidence’ to overturn the goal.
Take a look at the pictures, you decide if it’s obvious the stick strikes the puck OVER four feet.
Nate Thompson stands over 6’3″ on skates. Above his crest is about 5 feet. His hands are at his chest and the stick angled UPWARD making contact with the puck HIGHER than his chest (5 feet). But apparently the league didn’t see enough evidence…….
Who are these league officials by the way? They aren’t officials. They’re employees of the league that sit in a room somewhere in Toronto. They could be anybody, Gary Bettman’s nephew, Ryan Kesler’s aunt, we’ll never know, but we do know the decision was absolutely crucial.
The other factor was goaltending. Although they were tough goals, Brian Elliott has been below average this series, and that’s why you’re 0-3. You win and lose on your goaltending, and Elliott hasn’t stolen a game.
And that’s it. Ahead 4-1 heading into the third period the team squandered it all and now face a mountain that at this point seems insurmountable.
Absolutely true to suffice that someone dislikes the Flames and do not want them to win….The realism of which had been apparent during the 2015 playoff games and the current postseason games, primarily Game 2 and 3.