Refs looked the other way on a behind-the-play incident and the Habs paid the price

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Refs looked the other way on a behind-the-play incident and the Habs paid the price

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The Montreal Canadiens are heading back to Buffalo for a Game 7, and they have an uncalled headshot on Joe Veleno to talk about Sunday morning.

Marco D’Amico put it plainly. “Clear headshot to Joe Veleno goes uncalled. Buffalo goes back the other way and adds a fourth answered goal.”

That’s the kind of sequence that decides series. The Habs took a hit to the head, didn’t get a call, and watched the Sabres bury one at the other end seconds later.

Veleno isn’t a key playoff piece for Martin St-Louis. The 26-year-old has played just 2 postseason games this round, with 5 points across 61 regular season games on a 2.275 million cap hit.

But this wasn’t about the player. This was about the call. A headshot is a headshot whether the victim has 70 points or 5.

The non-call set up exactly the scenario the Habs couldn’t afford. Buffalo’s 4-goal answer pushed the series to seven games, and now Montreal has to win on the road to advance.

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St-Louis loses momentum at the worst possible moment

This series has produced more officiating storylines than any in recent memory. The no-goal call on Phillip Danault. The Norris hold. The Xhekaj punch. The Doan dive debate. The Byram high stick on Texier.

D’Amico’s read on Saturday night was direct. “The impact of the officiating in this game has been staggering.”

That’s the kind of complaint that doesn’t change a result, but it does change the narrative going into Game 7. The Canadiens know they had a chance to close this out.

Buffalo’s lineup is still patched together. Sam Carrick was scratched after the Xhekaj scrum. Jason Zucker took a block injury earlier in the round. Lindy Ruff has been pulling levers all series long.

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Despite all that, the Sabres won when they had to. The home ice flips for Game 7, and Buffalo gets the building it needs for a winner-take-all night.

Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov finally connected for goals in the last few games.

The Habs top six woke up just in time to keep this series alive. Now they need to do it one more time.

The next 48 hours are about recovery, video review, and figuring out how Montreal closes a road game with the season on the line.

The officiating won’t get fixed. The series gets decided on Monday anyway.

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Refs looked the other way on a behind-the-play incident and the Habs paid the price