NHL faces accusations of rigging the Oilers Vs. Panthers Finals

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Julien Trekker
June 14, 2024 (3:45 PM)

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Once again this year, the NHL faces accusations of rigging the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.

In the playoffs, referees are always under a lot of scrutiny and pressure from fans, teams and the League.

Their decisions can impact game results, and it's often believed that some referees struggle to stay unbiased.

This year, there's a big stir about the NHL's choice for which referees work in the Finals.

Two referees were under fire: Steve Kozari and Dan O'Rourke.

In his career, Kozari made many questionable calls against the Edmonton Oilers. As for O'Rourke, statistics emerged that highlight a pattern when he workd in Florida Panthers' games: they nearly always win.

The last 14 times that O'Rourke officiated a Panthers game, Florida has a 13-0-1 record. In the playoffs, they are 4-0, while the Oilers are 0-4:

"The Florida Panthers have gone 13-0-1 in their last 14 games under referee Dan O'Rourke, including playoffs. The Oilers are 0-4 this postseason when O'Rourke is working; the Panthers are 4-0."

O'Rourke and Kozari aren't the reason why Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and the Oilers haven't been able to beat Sergei Bobrovsky and struggled against Florida's defensive efforts. However, the numbers are here, and they don't lie.

Do you think the NHL rigged the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers?

Source: Daily Hockey Dose
The NHL gets accused of rigging the Stanley Cup Finals