A team whose captain just crossed the 900 career goals to set a mythical benchmark, vs. a team that showed rebuilding with young talent can work. That’s been the story of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals playoff pairing. Though not traditional rivals, their playoff encounters have been etched into the memories of fans, most notably their 2010 duel. 15 years ago, the 8th-seeded Canadiens shocked the NHL world by toppling the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals in a stunning seven-game series. Jaroslav Halak turned into a brick wall, Alexander Ovechkin was stifled, and the Habs pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the salary-cap era.

So, heading into this year’s playoff clash, anticipation was sky-high. Fans were excited to see the clash as Montreal, with its surging youth core, took on Washington, led by a living legend, Alex Ovechkin. However, the excitement gave way to frustration for many viewers as fans noticed a problematic pattern.

While hockey games and physicality go hand in hand, fans have raised their voice against the officials missing calls. Veterans like Alex Ovechkin have not shied away from dishing out hits from the very first game. Apart from the multiple goals and assists, Ovi had seven hits in the first game. Among the many Canadiens players, Cole Caufield has taken some particularly brutal hits.

Yet, none of this may have resulted in fans shouting ‘non-call’ had the referees intervened. Sportsnet captured the most controversial hit from the Washington Capitals vs. the Montreal Canadiens Game 2, once again involving the 24-year-old. “Cole Caufield is furious after a missed cross-checking call late in Game 2,” they wrote in the caption.

With the Canadiens down 2–1 late in the third period, Cole Caufield took a cross-check to the face from Capitals forward Connor McMichael following a close-range shot attempt. Surprisingly, no penalty was called, leaving both players and fans visibly frustrated and confused. The clip showed Caufield banging the glass in frustration over the non-call.

A fan explained why the NHL forward had good reason to be so frustrated. “@NHL, is this ok because it’s the playoffs? What a joke. Center of the action, middle of the ice, not one of the officials saw a problem with this?” they wrote. Caufield just had the same thought because he was livid at the officials after skating off the ice.

In fact, his reaction even drew the attention of the refs, who approached him on the bench. While the clip from the broadcast didn’t reveal what they argued about, it was clear that the Canadiens’ star had a heated conversation with one of the officials. This soured the experience for many fans, who were already frustrated with what happened in Game 1.

With the game tied 2-2 in overtime, Patrik Laine was skating back and appeared ready to play the puck when he was taken down by Capitals forward Nicolas Roy. Despite the apparent interference, officials whistled the play for icing. It seemed like the kind of play where the linesman would typically wave off the icing due to the attacking player being interfered with, but in this case, no such call was made.

The resulting faceoff stayed in Montreal’s zone, and on the ensuing play, Ovechkin found the back of the net, sealing a 3–2 win for Washington. With another contentious officiating decision in Game 2, fans have had enough.

NHL fans dumbfounded with Washington Capitals’ rough-housing

Fans complained that the referees have not called for penalties or stopped play at the Capital One Arena far too many times in the first two games. “These non-calls for cross-checking to the face are getting old. #GoHabsGo,” complained one frustrated Montreal Canadiens fan. In fact, many argued that the cross-check that happened in front of the Capitals’ nets wasn’t even the first.

“3 Cross-checks to the face and 0 calls so far this series. Reffing is awful,” commented one fan. The clip showed Washington Capitals forward, Nicholas Dowd raising his stick above Caufield’s shoulder level, hitting him in the face. It wasn’t a light hit either, the 24-year-old sported a cut on his chin while having a back-and-forth with the referee.

While Caufield was already going down, and the Capitals forward was much taller than the youngster, he raised the stick up and drove the Canadiens player to the ground. Naturally, fans were shocked that the officials didn’t sound the whistle, especially after seeing where he was standing. “IN FRONT OF THE REF,” one outraged fan wrote in all caps.

The footage showed that one of the referees skated into what seemed like the perfect spot to keep an eye on the commotion near the net. He had even knelt to get a better view when the cross happened. Yet, the official couldn’t spot it or thought it didn’t merit a call. Did the Washington Capitals player block the view? That could be one possibility.

Still, fans were unhappy with the officiating, with one user writing, “Like what are we even doing here? Ridiculous.”

The official could only see the larger NHL player’s back and may have missed the high cross-check. However, that doesn’t explain the fans complaining about the previous ones. That’s because fans weren’t the only ones harping on about three cross-checks in two games. “That’s the third time I’ve seen a cross-check hit the face of a player in this series,” agreed one of the announcers.

Plus, the Washington Capitals have also dished out massive hits that fans complained about. In fact, Alex Ovechkin flattening Cole Caufield in Game 1 became a point of contention. However, the Canadiens player had joked about that hit after the game. “I don’t recommend it,” Caufield told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. However, the cross-check pushed him over the edge.

That’s because even Tom Wilson slammed the 24-year-old against the wall earlier in the game. “First Ovi, now Wilson has his turn rocking Caufield,” wrote Spittin’ Chiclets, while sharing a clip of the hit. Washington Capitals players drew some heat from the fans because they hit Cole Caufield when he didn’t have the puck. After the repeated hits, even those who don’t support the Montreal Canadiens spoke up.

“I hate the Habs. I was shocked when there was no call there,” one fan commented. How did you feel about the Washington Capitals playing, arguably a little too roughly, against Montreal? Write your views in the comments.