Step aside MLB umpires, the NHL officials ‘shine’ in Stars’ playoff win over Las Vegas

The point of instant replay is to catch what the human eye just missed, but there is no point to this safety net if the person watching it in super, 4KHD slo-mo blows the call, too.

After watching the Dallas Stars rally to defeat the Las Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 5 of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series, there are two prevailing thoughts:

1.) After losing the first two games of the series, both at home, the Stars have ripped off three straight wins because they are the better team. The defending Stanley Cup champions had their chances in Games 3 and 4, and blew all of them.

If/when the Stars close this out, this is a Cup team. Vegas had the voodoo on the Stars, and were not an ideal matchup; if the Stars clear this, the rest of the Western Conference is the big underdog.

2.) Instant replay needs an overhaul, or to be dumped.

In the second period on Wednesday night, Stars forward Tyler Seguin found himself in the middle of multiple situations that should have been cleaned up by replay.

At the 7:55 mark, Seguin was called for an illegal check to the head of Las Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore.

Watching it live and anyone would have made the conclusion that Seguin hit Theodore, who after the apparent collision dramatically went down. Both teams then immediately shoved, pushed and did some standard playoff “fake fighting.”

In real time, Seguin’s hit looked like a penalty.

“We didn’t like the hit. He left his feet, hit the head,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.

After watching the replay from multiple angles, Seguin either didn’t hit Theodore, or he barely touched him with the back of his shoulder. If any penalty was needed here, it was flopping. Or an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The NHL and NBA have done their best to address the flopping that for a handful of years plagued both leagues, but there is no way to get them all. There is no way to get them all if you’re not going to try.

Three minutes after Theodore’s brilliant performance, almost on cue, the officials penalized Las Vegas forward Mark Stone for interference against the Stars’ Wyatt Johnston. In hockey terms, it was Makeup Call 101.

The makeup call is an integral part of Stanley Cup playoff hockey, no different than an injury report that reads, “Upper Body” for a player who has a broken face but will play anyways.

With less than four minutes remaining in the period, Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo delivered a nasty, fully-extended shot to Seguin’s face. Clearly Pietrangelo felt Seguin had made contact with Theodore; this reeked of old school payback.

“We should know better,” Cassidy said. “It happens. We have to care of being disciplined.”

The original call was a five-minute major for elbowing. After reviewing the replays, which from any angle it was clear Pietrangelo’s shot was 45% deliberate, 10% deliberate, and the remaining 98% deliberate.

The officials changed the call. The only change to the call that should have been made was to put Pietrangelo on a one-way Spirit flight to Vegas, with five pieces of luggage that had to be checked.

Instead, the call was reduced to roughing, a two-minute penalty. Apparently Jack Daniels and instant replay are a good match.

“Petro is not a dirty player,” Seguin said. “I’m not a dirty player. It’s the emotions of a game.”

Most parties involved here are going to say this is simply a part of the playoffs. That these things are a part of hockey culture, which they are.

“There was a lot going on in that game,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Emotions both ways. Some questionable hits. Some not questionable hits, and calls. It’s all about managing it. You’re not going to get all of those calls.”

No official, linesman or referee can be expected to see it all. The games are too fast. The players are much too big, and skilled.

As much as we think AI will fix it all, the human element of officiating is a fundamental part of sport. We hate the ref’, and we need them. We should never endorse removing the human who officiates the games.

But if we’re going to accept that replay is now a part of professional, and major college, sports, the standard should be higher.

What happened in the second period of the Stars’ win on Wednesday night will be forgotten, but when the NHL reviews its officials it needs to include replay, too.

If it’s going to be like this, dump it.