NHL games revolve around three key elements — the players, the team’s coaching staff, and the referees. The Stanley Cup Final is no exception.
With the series locked at 1-1 with back-to-back overtime finishes, Game 3 was a change of pace with a dominant 6-1 win for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. Before Game 3, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch met with the media and directly referenced just how important referees’ roles would be in the year’s final series.
And with five fights featured throughout the Game 3 matchup, his comments were well worth it.
Kris Knoblauch Gets Candid About the Role of Referees In Ensuring Fair Play
After Knoblauch’s pregame comments, Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final quickly evolved into chaos that boiled over in the third period. A full-line brawl resulting in multiple ejections, over 80 combined penalty minutes in that period alone, and 140 total penalty minutes over the full 60 minutes of play was on display in the Sunshine State.
This is Florida Panther’s hockey at its finest. They won all 5 fights and have absolutely dominated this game pic.twitter.com/WLoewfhpme
— x – Dylan (@miamiguydylan) June 10, 2025
“It’s a fine line, and you just trust that the referees would call it and enforce it properly. And that’s a very difficult thing to handle, because, you know, just what’s contact? What propels a player into the crease? Or, you know, obviously our defensemen are trying to do their best to keep the Florida players from getting to the net front,” Knoblauch said pregame.
He continued, saying the officials need to take what they see during play at face value and make calls accordingly.
“A player can always spin or take the other route or go through the crease, and you look at certain places where — I took physics in high school, but that was a long time ago, and you know when there’s an action from one side and counter-action, but if you’re pushing to the left and he falls right … you can’t do that much as a defenseman to control exactly where he goes. So, just hopefully, the referees see that and call it accordingly.”
After the game, though, the Oilers coach offered both praise and critiques to the officials.
“I think the referees did an outstanding job tonight,” Knoblauch said, praising them for their Game 3 performance. “They even caught the too-many-men penalty in the first, which was too many men.”
Then, he transitioned to talking about a previous issue from Game 2’s double-overtime defeat, implying that, while Knoblauch is glad calls are being made now, they should have been made throughout the entirety of the series.
“I just wish they had been calling it in Game 2 in overtime,” Knoblauch said.
After a 6-1 loss, it is understandable for a head coach to be frustrated. And when a coach is frustrated, it’s only natural for them to look at other factors of the game, such as the officiating. However, down 2-1, the Oilers have more to worry about than the referees.
Game 4 will take place on Thursday, June 12, at 8 p.m. ET, and the Oilers and Knoblauch will have an opportunity to once again even the series with referees on ice at Amerant Bank Arena.