Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy fined for calling out officials

Cassidy not a fan of the Islanders’ number of power plays during Game 5 loss in Boston. 

The Islanders stunned the Bruins in Boston on Monday night, taking Game 5 of the series 5-4. The Isles were 3-for-4 on the power play — scoring on their first three advantages — and after the game Boston coach Bruce Cassidy was not pleased with the officiating.

The referees for Game 5 were Francis Charron and Francois St. Laurent. And, frankly, Cassidy was pissed. And did not mince words.

“This is my take on it: We’re playing a team that has a very well-respected management and coaching staff. But I think they sell a narrative over there that it’s more like the New York Saints, not the New York Islanders,” Cassidy told reporters after Game 5. “They play hard and they play the right way, but I feel we’re the same way. And the exact calls that get called on us do not get called on them, and I don’t know why.”

“[The Islanders have] done a great job selling that narrative that they’re clean. They play a hard brand of hockey. But they commit as many infractions as we do. Trust me. It’s [just] a matter of calling them,” Cassidy continued.

On Tuesday morning, the NHL handed Cassidy a $25,000 fine. The fine money goes to the NHL Foundation.

“You win games in different ways and this group has learned that over the course of the playoffs. But to get the fourth one is the toughest game. Boston is going to bring their A-game, we’re going to have to bring our A-game, and we’ll just leave it at that.”

Trotz ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MU5vDQKmPW

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 8, 2021

Perhaps Cassidy should have checked the numbers from the regular season. The Islanders were the least-penalized team in the NHL this season, taking 2.69 penalties per 60 minutes. Cassidy’s Bruins, on the other hand, were the third-most penalized team at 3.89 penalties taken per 60 minutes.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz was asked about Cassidy’s comments after the Game 5 win. He, unlike Cassidy, knew his team’s track record.

“You’ll have to ask him about that,” Trotz told the media. “I just looked at where we ended up during the year — we were one of the least-penalized teams in the whole league. [So] I don’t know what he means by that. You’ll have to ask him.”

The Islanders will look to close out the Bruins and advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals on Wednesday night at home.