Babcock says refs must have been told to let infractions against Kadri slide

Mike Babcock doesn't get it.

The Toronto Maple Leafs head coach was incensed after his club dropped a 3-1 decision to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, wondering why there was no penalty called for an apparent cross-check on Nazem Kadri late in the third period.

Toronto was down 2-1 at the time, and Babcock figured his club was going to go on the power play and have an opportunity to tie the game. Instead, the Bruins iced the game with an empty-net goal 20 seconds later.

After the game, Babcock said the officials must have received a memo about Kadri four games ago, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, asking them not to call penalties on infractions against the Maple Leafs forward, who opposing teams love to hate.

Kadri agreed with his head coach.

"I don't know how we didn't draw one there," he said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "That was the definition, I thought, of a cross-check."

"You'd have to ask (the officials), but I wasn't very hungry," Kadri added. "I didn't want to eat the (boards) there."

After missing the call, Babcock hopes the shenanigans are done.

"It's got to be over with now," he said. "Let's get on with it. If it's a penalty, let's call a penalty."

Kadri's one of the league's best players at drawing penalties, but that doesn't exactly give him the best reputation among his fellow NHLers. And perhaps the referees.