Cuts, Kicks, Broken Sticks, and Bloody Refs

On this week's #RefsPodcast:NHL officials who made - and missed - the cut for the NHL Conference Finals, including some surprises.Zebra down! We’ve seen standby officials called into action quite a few times in the playoffs, including after recent injuries to Kelly Sutherland and Chris Rooney.Canes’ Shayne Gostisbehere vs. Panthers’ Brad Marchand - we’ve got a puck shot at a player with no penalty or fine, followed by a mysterious extra penalty for Florida. What happened?It’s not only hard to defend with a broken stick, it’s illegal, as Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns found out.Oilers’ Evander Kane with a clear high stick - at least from this angle - on the Stars’ Matt Duchene.Carolina’s Brent Burns puts the Canes offside, wiping out their only goal in Game 2.Was Niko Mikkola’s hit on Seth Jarvis legal? The NHL rule book says it was…More rough stuff in the IIHF with a cross-checking ejection at Austria vs. Switzerland.Looking back at a close call on an offside at Leafs/Panthers, where Toronto was smart not to challenge based on the often-misunderstood delayed offside rule, and a good goal off the skate - without a distinct kicking motion - from the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho.------------------Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠scoutingtherefs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow @scoutingtherefs and @toddlewissports on Twitter/X, Instagram, BlueSky, and Threads. Email us your questions - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Scouting The Refs Podcast is a weekly look at the world of officiating and player safety within the National Hockey League, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world. We'll break down the calls and the rules behind them to help understand why a penalty or suspension was - or wasn't - handed out.