Ah, May. The birds are singing, the grass is growing, and NHL refs\u2019 whistles are barely blowing. It\u2019s the playoffs, and that means hooks, slashes, and crosschecks are less illegal than they were in March and April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every hockey fan knows the differences between the NHL regular season and playoffs. Among the major pro sports in this part of the world, there is no greater gulf in style and intensity when the two segments of the schedule are stacked up. A large cause for this divide is the shift in officials\u2019 behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot more honesty on a lot of plays,\u201d Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn told Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times on April 18<\/a>. \u201cSometimes \u2013 not that it\u2019s not a penalty \u2013 trips, and things are called when it\u2019s kind of a meaningless or hopeless play. In the playoffs, they kind of let it slide. They want the play to go on, and they want more of a competitive atmosphere. It\u2019s a lot more fun for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officiating isn\u2019t the only reason for this. It\u2019s impossible for players to play with that insane level of commitment across a six-month, 82-game schedule that spans four time zones. Plus, the stakes are simply higher in the postseason than on any given night in January. But how the refs call the game does a lot to influence how teams approach the ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n