Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy was upset by an unpenalized trip that forced defenseman Brayden McNabb out of the game not long before the Edmonton Oilers scored in overtime Thursday night.
‘(The referee is) looking at it, He blew it. He missed the call. I don’t know what else to say,’ Cassidy said. ‘It’s a can opener. It’s a dangerous play. It’s all those things.
‘But it didn’t get called so you have to keep playing. Nabber is probably one of the most popular teammates in the room, so that is a tough part of playing through it. It’s not as easy as it looks. We’re human.’
Seventeen seconds after McNabb left the game on the Viktor Arvidsson play, Connor McDavid fed Leon Draisaitl for the winning goal at 15:20. The Oilers won 5-4 and have a 2-0 series lead on the Golden Knights.
‘It stings to lose that way,’ Cassidy said.
The Golden Knights, who rallied from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game, had to kill off a five-minute major penalty in overtime after Nicolas Roy cross-checked Trent Frederic in the face.
Game 3 is Saturday in Edmonton, where the Oilers are 3-0 in the playoffs.
Cassidy didn’t know McNabb’s status after the game.