The Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3–2 last night after an overtime winner from Connor McMichael. However, the result has been overshadowed by fans spotting what many believe should have been an obvious penalty, prompting criticism of the officials.
The Montreal Canadiens appeared on track for a comfortable victory against the Capitals. But after a weak third period in which they conceded two goals—including the 2–2 equalizer with just 1:54 remaining in the game—they eventually fell in overtime.
Scored in overtime
Earlier in the game, Capitals forward Ethan Frank scored twice, helping Washington stay within reach. The comeback was completed in overtime when McMichael buried the game-winner.
During the second period, Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj dropped the gloves with Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath, a fight that later drew some mockery from fans online. Still, most of the postgame discussion focused on a missed call by the officials.
Missed Montreal penalty
In the third period, as the Capitals were pressing hard for the equalizer, the Canadiens briefly had six players deep in their own zone before Brendan Gallagher noticed the mistake and left the ice. While too-many-men penalties usually occur near the bench during a line change, in this instance all six skaters were positioned in the defensive zone—a detail highlighted by a Reddit user.
Fans have since called out the officials for failing to spot what they consider an obvious infraction from Montreal.
“It’s honestly so obvious that I feel like the refs wouldn’t think they could be that dumb, so they didn’t notice,” one fan wrote.
“I swear it was so obvious too—shocked it didn’t get called,” another added.
“Some godlike officiating,” a third fan commented sarcastically.
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