"Check the refs betting accounts": Blueshirts fans rip into NHL referees after NY Rangers' OT loss to Golden Knights

The New York Rangers surrendered a late third period lead against the Vegas Golden Knights before a Jack Eichel goal gave the road team a 3-2 win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. Two contentious calls led to the game-tying and winning goal for the Knights.

At 18:02 in the third period, referee Chris Lee handed matching minors to Rangers defenseman Will Borgen and Golden Knights center Brett Howden for a scuffle near the New York bench that didn't seem to affect the play. Vegas scored 56 seconds later via Thomas Hertl on a 5-on-4 as the Knights pulled goalie Carter Hart.

Because of the mirroring minor calls the overtime period went to a four-on-four after just two seconds. Less than a minute in, Matthew Robertson appeared to be tripped near the center ice by Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner. But there was no whistle from the referees, denying the Rangers the four-on-three. Once it shifted to a three-on-three after a whistle, Eichel scored on an end-to-end play.

Rangers fans weren't happy with the game's officiating as they took to X to voice their displeasure.

Here are a few reactions:

"Outrageous officiating, check the refs betting accounts asap," a fan said.

Gabe Uhdsegs

@GiantPen15

@NYRangers Outrageous officiating, check the refs betting accounts asap

"Refs with the perfect assist to Eichel!" a fan claimed.

steelz

@SteelzF

@NYRangers Refs with the perfect assist to eichel!

"Refs with $ on LVGK. Never seen anything like that non trip and then faceoff nonsense," another fan said.

Matt S

@MattStamos

@NYRangers Refs with $ on LVGK. Never seen anything like that non trip and then faceoff nonsense

"Send that ref to the moon," a fan stated.

bobo

@Bobo_Carbone

@NYRangers Send that Ref to the moon

"Uh refs just rigged that," a fan wrote.

RangersFan265

@Fan265R

@NYRangers Uh refs just rigged that

"Refs really had the vegas money line huh?" a fan questioned.

Nick

@nicke22rocks

@NYRangers Refs really had the vegas money line huh?

Mika Zibanejad and Mike Sullivan frustrated with the referee calls

Mika Zibanejad, during his media scrum, expressed his frustration after the Rangers didn't receive a single power play in a single game, when asked about the Robertson tripping call.

“Like, really? Zero power plays and you don’t call that?” he said. “It stings now. We could probably look at other things that we could’ve done better not to get to that point, but I thought that one was pretty obvious.”

Mollie Walker

@MollieeWalkerr

#NYR Mika Zibanejad frustrated with the way this one was called. On his jawing with ref leading up to OT winner: “I think it was the whole game…” On missed tripping call on Robertson in OT: “Like, really? Zero power plays and you don’t call that? I don’t know. Again, we can’t

Head coach Mike Sullivan had a similar sentiment, during his presser, stressing that the five-on-four spell gave the Knights an unfair advantage after the roughing minors late in the third period.

“There's nothing going on," Sullivan explained.

"I think the coincidental minors had a huge implication, right? There’s a big difference between a 6-on-5 and a 5-on-4 and trying to defend it. It had a huge implication,” he continued.

Peter Baugh

@Peter_Baugh

Sullivan was frustrated by the Howden/Borgen matching minors at the end of regulation. He said there’s a huge difference defending 5-on-4 rather than 6-on-5. “There was nothing going on,” he said of the Howden/Borgen roughings.

Rangers dropped to a 3-9-2 record at home after the game. Their results on the road have allowed them to have a decent 15-12-4 overall record. With 34 points, they are fifth in the Metropolitan Division.