Hurricanes To Have Distinct Reffing Advantage Ahead Of Game 1

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James Connelly
May 18, 2023 (5:37 PM)

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The refs for tonight's game have been shockingly biased towards the away teams all playoffs and we should expect the Hurricanes to have a reffing advantage.

Lee and Kozari Likely To Favorite Hurricanes

When the lights are the brightest, the NHL brings out their big guns for everything. From camera crews to coverage to referees, the NHL does its best to pull out its best personnel.

However, tonight's referees, Chris Lee and Steve Kozari, have displayed a distinct advantage for home teams on the powerplay this playoff season.

According to scoutingtherefs.com, Lee and Kozari have given the home team 57.1% of all powerplay opportunities this postseason. While the sample size is not super large just yet, fans are complaining given Kozari and Lee's history.

So far, the Hurricanes have yet to lose in regulation with Lee refereeing while they have a losing record with Kozari reffing. Obviously, refs do not always have a direct outcome on the game but sometimes they do and fans are hoping that Kozari and Lee call a fair game.

Kozari tends to call more penalties on the home team while Lee tends to call more penalties on the away team. This will be something to watch for throughout the game because each ref has their quirks and we may see them exposed tonight.