Last night, The Canadiens lost 6–5. in favor of the Oilers, and after a relatively calm start, tempers flared as the game progressed. ANDwhen I say Montreal, I mean the fans and the club.Cole Caufield said the officials took control of the game and he took the time to congratulate them on the win. Brendan Gallagher (the referees' best friend) said the Oilers didn't need the referees' help to win and added that the referees recognized that, in hindsight, Juraj Slafkowski's penalty wasn't really a penalty.
Juraj Slafkovsky was called to board: pic.twitter.com/elVXJCwGkr
– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 24, 2025
But what I think the Habs players didn't like is that usually the referees are trying to make amends. They try to award a penalty to the other team to “even things out.” Not only did that not happen, but the Habs received three more penalties as a result, including one on Josh Anderson for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Canadiens veteran misjudged the temperature of the game and insulted the officials, for which he was punished – and this did not please the Canadiens players, as they felt that the officials were taking control of the game.
Def could have been released, especially if the previous challenge was misjudged. But the veterinarian in Anderson shouldn't have given them the chance to call. pic.twitter.com/rUkXDnE2id
– lost my head there (@LostMyHead There) October 24, 2025
Giving the Oilers such a gift didn't work out. The club was already slipping away, and Samuel Montembault was still trying to get his bearings…The Habs didn't help themselves, even if some of the blame lies with the referees. Were the referees trying to compensate for the fact that one of Cole Caufield's goals shouldn't have been successful given the fact that the puck had been thrown into the net shortly before?
Who knows
But what I do know is that Martin St. Louis usually keeps his cool in front of the media and refuses to make excuses for his team's losses. Yesterday he did not use this as an excuse, but publicly expressed it to the judges. He said he hopes people around the league will do what coaches do: watch video to improve. #Ouch
“We watch the video and try to get better as a group. I hope the league has the same process as the coaches,” Martin St. Louis said.
– Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 24, 2025
St. Louis also said it had no explanation for Josh Anderson's penalty. Soalthough the Oilers deserved punishment at times, the Habs only had one power play. The Oilers, on the other hand, had five players in the game. content-ads]This should all be taken as a learning situation for the Canadiens. After all, the guys must understand that even if the referees replayed the game (for the wrong reasons) in favor of the home team and the best player on the planet, the players’ task is to survive and win, no matter what. That didn't happen as the Oilers scored after penalties from Mike Matheson and Josh Anderson. Before that, the score was 5:3, and then the Oilers returned both teams to the starting position. And at the very end of the game, the hosts won the match with a goal 69 seconds before the end of the game. That was the cherry on top… and brought to the surface Gary Bettman's old comments about superior officiating in the NHL.
Hockey fans, reporters, players and coaches: “The NHL referees are the worst.”
Gary Bettman: pic.twitter.com/w64uj31vhK– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) October 24, 2025
Nobody pays for referees to call phantom penalties, and the fans are very upset about yesterday's game. But the Canadiens should be aware that in a game against Chicago earlier this season, the referees gave the Hawks 10 penalties. Sometimes it goes one way, sometimes the other. spacer title=”prolongation]The guys' goal at this stage will be to let go of the disappointment and make sure they win the next game, which takes place tomorrow night (7 pm Quebec time) in Vancouver. Today is the club's day off.
