Photo of Noah Dobson getting called for a tripping vs the Maple Leafs.

Photo credit: All Montreal Hockey / NHL

Once again, the referees are making headlines after the Canadiens-Maple Leafs matchup in Toronto.

On Saturday night, an incomprehensible penalty to Noah Dobson put officiating back at the center of NHL discussions. In the viral sequence, William Nylander, number 88 of the Maple Leafs, mostly seems to lose his balance on his own behind Jakub Dobes.

Yet Dobson is the one who ends up with two minutes for tripping. The Canadiens were completely dominating, with a 34-23 shot advantage, including 14-3 in the second period, while Toronto had nothing going at five-on-five.

Fans are already calling it another blatant refereeing mistake against the Canadiens. According to the official scoresheet, referees Kelly Sutherland and Garrett Rank, along with linesmen Matt MacPherson and James Tobias, were in charge of the game.

“This should be an easy fine for the league.

It also boggles my mind how the refs don’t care about getting shown up like this.”

For Noah Dobson, this whistle spoils a strong start to the season with the Canadiens. At 25 years old, he already has three goals, thirteen assists, and sixteen points in twenty-six games, while averaging just over twenty-two minutes per night.

He has only ten penalty minutes-far from the image of an undisciplined defenseman.

Let’s remember that the Canadiens paid a steep price to acquire him from the Islanders, notably sending Emil Heineman and two first-round picks in 2025, before giving him an eight-year contract worth a total of $76 million, or $9.5 million per season.

Meanwhile, Montreal keeps banking points and staying ahead of Toronto in the standings-adding even more tension to every questionable call. Fortunately for the Canadiens, they still pulled out the win in the shootout on a brilliant finish by Alexandre Texier.

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Yet another questionable call against Canadiens sparks outrage after Dobson penalty vs. Leafs

Did the referees really penalize Noah Dobson for nothing last night?