Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. I am sitting here watching the remainder of the Bruins and Habs game. You have said on numerous occasions that referees do not decide games or in this case, series. Was that the case with Game 7? I have many calls that we could discuss but I only want to ask about the one called against Boston with 4:31 left in the game. Did that call not decide the series? That was an interference call, however to be fair, lets sit and review the game. Can you tell me that throughout the game(s) it was fair and the calls were fair? They let so much go and then make calls like snow on the goalies shoulder! When was the last time that was called? Definitely not in a Game 7! Brian Gamley Brian: First, the Montreal Canadiens were the better team on this night and deserved the win and the series. The Bruins were tight and out of sync throughout most of Game 7. If you look at the penalty called by referee Dave Jackson on Johnny Boychuk with 4:31 remaining in regulation time it is fair to determine that by the letter of the law interference was committed once Boychuk built a bridge with his stick and shoved Bournival to the ice shortly after the puck was chipped through the neutral zone. There is also some argument to make that since Bournival did not alter his path to get outside Boychuk, but instead skated a stride or two directly into the Bruins defender that contact was inevitable and no harm, no foul - resulted 130 feet from the Bruins net. Whatever you believe to be most accurate is your prerogative. I want to focus my attention on how this specific call, with the score 2-1 and 4:31 remaining in Game 7, fit into the overall standard that the refs employed throughout the game. When I do that, it is only reasonable to conclude there were too many inconsistencies to deem this a penalty at that particular time in the game. Before I explain why I believe this to be true I want to provide some background on how the officials prepare for a game of this nature and the assignment process. When approaching any playoff game, especially a deciding game or Game 7, it is vital that the officiating crew be well prepared mentally and physically. In this case, that process would actually begin at least a day before the game when the officials left home and travelled to Boston (they might have also anticipated or even been assigned to Game 7 prior to Game 6 being played in Montreal. In any event they would have likely watched that game closely on television). While the officials are responsible for their personal preparation and readiness, the series supervisor (in this case, Kris King) also has some responsibility to get the crew mentally prepared in a meeting he conducts at noon on the day of the game. He, of course, cant work the game for them so his job is more like that of a coach and motivator. Selecting the officials assigned to the game is the direct responsibility of Stephen Walkom, V.P. of Officiating based on his evaluation process and that of his supervisors and Hockey Operations. Referee Dan ORourke has been selected to work the Stanley Cup Final on a couple of occasions. Dave Jackson returned to playoff assignments this season under Stephen Walkom after not participating in the playoffs from 2010-13 under boss Terry Gregson. The first period was crucial for the referees to set an acceptable standard and tone that hopefully the players would respond to and could be consistently applied throughout the game. From almost the opening puck drop key decisions were made on calls and non-calls that made this objective almost impossible to be maintained and achieve success. On the very first shift, Brad Marchand caught Michael Bournival with a high-stick to the head just inside the Montreal blue line that went un-penalized. Marchand then received the first penalty at 6:18 of the game for goalie interference assessed by referee Jackson. On this play, it was Andrei Markov of the Canadiens that cross-checked Marchand in the neck and caused the Bruins player to fall through the crease and contact Carey Price. The first penalty call is often crucial to set the standard and this one clearly sent the wrong message. At approximately 9:48 of the first period, Reilly Smith was given a rough ride with an obvious leg/stick trip takedown in front of the Habs net by Josh Gorges as Price caught on incoming puck. The same referee was once again in good position to see the play but chose not to call this tripping/interference infraction. At the other end of the ice, Zdeno Chara received a holding penalty following a puck battle with Rene Bourque against the boards where some detainment was exerted by Chara and a quick call resulted from Dan ORourke. These decisions set a difficult standard for the referees to maintain as it appeared the game was being worked differently from end of the ice to the other. It only took seven seconds into the second period when Brad Marchand was whistled for stopping hard at the crease and penalized for a snow-shower on Habs goalie Price. These calls are typically something that needs to be addressed early in a series and not in game seven. It would be at this juncture that some "game management" as I described in yesterdays column could be used to the refs advantage. Then at 17:06, David Krejci had his lower glove hand slashed by Lars Eller on the back-check as Krejci was attempting to redirect a centering pass from Torey Krug. Krejci had words with referee Jackson when no call was made. So now we move to the Johnny Boychuk interference penalty that was called with 4:31 remaining in regulation time of Game 7. Given all of the above events, plus the fact that Bournival did not attempt to skate around Boychuk in addition to some embellishment on the play, it would have been the appropriate time for the referee to keep his arm down and allow the play to continue. Sebastian Rode Jersey . He scored two highlight-reel goals in a three-minute span -- the second on a sideways bicycle kick in the 78th minute -- to give the Whitecaps a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers before a crowd of 20,303 at B. Axel Witsel Dortmund Jersey .TV Series: Duck Dynasty. http://www.footballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Jacob-Bruun-Larsen-Jersey/ .DeMarco Murray got his 20th carry late in the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, not long after Dez Bryant made his final catch of the day.Sure enough, a 44-17 win over Washington didnt change Dallas post-season position. Marius Wolf Jersey . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games. Maximilian Philipp Dortmund Jersey .Mateo Kovacic and Andrea Ranocchia scored for Inter, which had goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to thank for several crucial saves.Its an important victory against a Chievo side which plays well, Mancini said.The Florida Panthers have traded goaltender Tim Thomas to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Dan Ellis. Thomas, 39, signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with the Panthers prior to this season after choosing to sit out the 2013 NHL season. In 40 games played for the Panthers this season, Thomas has a .909 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average. Thomas is a two-time Vezina trophy winner and won the Conn Smythe trophy as pplayoff MVP in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup victory.dddddddddddd. He was selected in the ninth round (217th overall) of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques and has played 418 career games between the Panthers and Bruins. He has posted a 2.51 career goals-against average with a .920 save percentage. In 14 games with the Stars, Ellis has posted a 5-6-0 record with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. ' ' 'which lost to Chicago in the opening round last spring, hasnt won a playoff series since beating Vancouver in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals. Colorado claimed its first division title since 2003 this season and is the second seed in the West. After Thursdays win, the Avalanche are now 5-0-1 against the Wild since the start of the 2013-14 campaign. The comeback triumph in Game 1 also marked Patrick Roys first playoff win as an NHL head coach. Of course, the legendary goaltender won four Stanley Cup titles in his playing days, including two with Colorado in 1996 and 2001. With his team trailing 4-3 late in regulation, Roy made a bold decision to pull goaltender Semyon Varlamov in favor of the extra attacker with 3:01 remaining in the third. The early pull paid off with Stastnys tying goal, but not before Avs defenseman Erik Johnson made a terrific hustle play to prevent an empty-net score that could have clinched the win for Minnesota. The Wild had a chance to extend their lead to two goals with Varlamov on the bench. Minnesota forward Erik Haula cleared the puck the length of the ice and the disc was headed for the net before Johnson hustled down and swept it away mere inches from the goal line. His play paid off a bit later as the Avalanche peppered Wild goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov with shots late in regulation and finally got one through. Holding the puck behind the net, Avs rookie Nathan MacKinnon sent a pass to the left point where Johnson blasted a shot with Stastny putting home the rebound under the crossbar from the right side to send the game to overtime.dddddddddddd "Its just like every goal, theres four or five guys that make it happen," said Stastny. "There was so much spin on that shot I didnt even see it go in." On Stastnys OT winner, Colorados Tyson Barrie kept the puck in at the left point and was able to elude Minnesota forward Jason Pominville before pushing the puck to the low left side. From there, MacKinnon picked up the puck and skated around the right side where his pass was one-timed in by Stastny for the win. "We are confident in ourselves and we always play to win," said Stastny. "Its just a bit different pace out there, theres a lot more grinding and a lot more tedious. We have to get our rest and get ready for Saturday." Jamie McGinn and Ryan OReilly each posted a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who are in the playoffs after a three-season absence. Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog also had a goal in his postseason debut. Varlamov made 29 saves for Colorado to improve his career postseason record to 11-9. The Avs played Game 1 without star forward Matt Duchene (knee) and defenseman John Mitchell (concussion). Both players will miss Game 2 as well. Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter, Kyle Brodziak and Haula scored for the Wild, who are back in the playoffs for a second straight season after missing out four straight years. Zach Parise had two assists and Bryzgalov stopped 26 shots for Minnesota, which claimed the top wild card spot in the Western Conference. "I think despite the outcome of the game we did a lot of good things out there tonight," said Parise. "We made some mistakes in the third that resulted in the puck being in our net, and it cost us." The Wild hope to pick up a win Saturday so it can head back to St. Paul with the series tied 1-1. Minnesota is hosting Games 3 and 4, with the next meeting scheduled for Monday at Xcel Energy Center. This is the third all-time playoff meeting between the clubs. The Wild won a 2003 conference quarterfinals matchup in seven games, while the Avalanche knocked off Minnesota in six games during the same round in 2008. ' ' '