Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield did not mince words when asked about the controversial penalty that resulted in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.
With 56 seconds remaining in regulation, Caufield was called for a slash on Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes as the two battled for the puck in the corner behind the Minnesota net.
The penalty came 40 seconds after Nick Suzuki scored the tying goal that sent the game to overtime, and resulted in Kirill Kaprizov’s power play game-winner 21 seconds into the extra frame.
Caufield, who has called out NHL officiating in the past, said officials should have to answer questions themselves after making a controversial call that had such an impact on the result of the game.
“Knowing the time of the game, knowing how the game has been played up to that point,” Caufiled said on Wednesday. “They got a job to do, and if they felt that was the right call, at some point maybe they should have to answer questions themselves and kinda explain what they thought or what they saw, versus them just putting their hand in the air.
“It’s still a fast game. It’s a bang-bang play there. I think if I don’t come up with the puck there, it’s not called. I think they saw me with the puck behind the net with a couple of options, and then the hand went in the air.”
Caufield recorded an assist on Suzuki’s last-minute goal, extending his point streak to four games. The 25-year-old played 16:04 and recorded two shots on net.
Despite the loss, the Canadiens have now recorded at least a point in their past 11 games, and have not lost in regulation since Oct. 14 against the Washington Capitals.
“It was such a good hockey game up to that point,” Caufield added. “It just felt like they kind of gave it to them.
“They’re trying to do the best they can, but at the same time it’s frustrating as players trying to handle those situations. We’re the ones trying to answer all those questions afterwards, and they get to go right home.”
Head coach Martin St. Louis also voiced his displeasure about the crucial call in his post-game press conference on Tuesday night.
“I thought [Hughes] sold it. I thought he created the broken stick, if you watch it,” said St. Louis. “It’s too bad that it ends that way. It’s too bad. I think we deserved much better than that.”
Habs forward Josh Anderson broadened the discussion to a season-long trend involving the Canadiens.
“You look at the stat sheet. We’re the most penalized team. We talk about this all the time. I’ll just leave it at that, honestly. It is what it is,” he said.
Montreal ranks second in the league with 85 minor penalties, and has the NHL’s worst net penalty differential at minus-18.
The Canadiens will get back on the ice Thursday in Boston against the division-leading Bruins. Jacob Fowler will make his third consecutive start for the club after making 22 stops in Tuesday’s losing effort.
Defenceman Mike Matheson will travel with the club, but it’s yet to be announced if he’ll re-enter the lineup as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury.