Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Fans who feel the Montreal Canadiens have been heavily penalized by NHL officials since the start of the playoffs are not imagining things.
The numbers officially confirm it.
And this is exactly the kind of statistic that is generating a lot of reaction!
A revealing chart in that regard was shared on social media over the past few hours.
The Canadiens rank first among all teams that participated in the 2026 playoffs with 245 penalty minutes accumulated. Far ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, who sit in second place with 215 minutes.
The Philadelphia Flyers are in third place with 190 minutes.
The Carolina Hurricanes, the Canadiens’ next opponent, have accumulated only 131. The Boston Bruins round out the top five with 123 penalty minutes.
The Canadiens have overcome a major discipline gap in their playoff run
The gap between the Canadiens and the other teams remaining in the final four is striking.
There are differences in games played in some cases, but even when averaging it out, the gap is clear.
Are the Canadiens really playing that undisciplined?
Or have the referees simply been stricter in certain situations?
I wonder if this is a situation that could attract the attention of the National Hockey League, and whether it could eventually become a question asked to commissioner Gary Bettman.
In any case, despite all of this, the team still managed to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Defeat Buffalo in seven games, and qualify for the Eastern Conference Final!
It is proof that the Canadiens have managed to overcome these difficulties and continue their impressive playoff run.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Canadiens severely penalized by NHL as playoff numbers draw major reaction
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