Avs' Johnson rips refs for not blowing play dead with Calvert injured
The Colorado Avalanche held on to a win over the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, but defenseman Erik Johnson wasn't a fan of one particular decision the referees made late in the match.
Up by two with under three minutes to play, Avs winger Matt Calvert blocked Elias Pettersson's shot with his head. The referees opted not to blow the play dead, and the Canucks scored with Calvert on the ice in pain and bleeding from his head.
"It's a f------ joke. You want to protect a guy? Guy's got a family at home, he's laying there bleeding out of his head and you don't blow the whistle?" Johnson said postgame, according to The Athletic's Ryan S. Clark. "It's a complete joke. An absolute joke. They should be ashamed of themselves."
I can understand being hesitant to kill a possession here but Calvert was down for so long after blocking a shot with his head. Pretty bad look for the officiating crew pic.twitter.com/fo6PihQPGq
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 17, 2019
"That rule is pretty crazy, a guy laying there bleeding out the side of his head," Nathan MacKinnon added postgame. "... I know it's not the refs' fault, it's the league rule ... I don't think he's faking it, trying to get a whistle."
The Canucks went on to score again, forcing overtime. MacKinnon, who was visibly frustrated with the referees after the incident, ended things quickly by scoring 27 seconds into the extra frame.