‘The refs kinda took over the game’: Canadiens call out officials following loss to Oilers

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Dylan Nazareth | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 12:00 PM ET

On Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers put up their biggest offensive showing of the season, scoring three unanswered to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 6-5. The messy back-and-forth affair turned controversial, owing to an imbalance in power play opportunities between the two teams. Edmonton had five on the night, converting on two in the final frame, while Montreal got just one.

The Oilers had a 3-1 lead late in the second period, but the Canadiens scored three unanswered in two minutes to take a one-goal edge, before making it 5-3 early in the third. Using the momentum of four power plays in the third period, Edmonton was able to swing the game back in their favour, much to the dismay of the Canadiens.

It all began with Juraj Slafkovsky getting called for boarding against Oilers defender Ty Emberson one minute after Montreal took the two-goal lead in the third. After the game, Brendan Gallagher said the referees conceded to him that the call was a mistake.

“I’m going to be honest with you, it started with Slaf’s penalty,” Gallagher said. “Talked to him after that one, they admitted it wasn’t a penalty, they made a mistake … (The Oilers) have some high-end talent, they don’t need the help.”

Juraj Slafkovsky gets called for boarding: pic.twitter.com/elVXJCwGkr

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 24, 2025

Later in the period, Mike Matheson was called for tripping, with the Oilers converting on the ensuing power play to bring things within one. Josh Anderson was then called for unsportsmanlike conduct in controversial fashion, either for shooting the puck away from the crease after the goal or potentially for something he said on the ice. After the game, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said he was not given an explanation on why Anderson was sent to the box.

Needless to say, temperatures were running high at that point. Edmonton converted on the man advantage once again, then added one more to take the lead and the game. In the aftermath, Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who had two goals on Thursday, was very direct in his frustration with the officiating.

“The refs kinda took over the game there. Kudos to them for winning it,” he said.

Cole Caufield ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/DzrJSmQxPL

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 24, 2025

While the win came in controversial fashion, the Oilers will gladly take the two points and turn their focus to the next one, set to face the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night. If anything, for Edmonton, it showed their power play units can step up when needed, now sitting sixth in the league with a 28 percent conversion rate.

Both the Oilers and Habs will hit the road for the West Coast this weekend. Edmonton will be in Seattle on Saturday night and Vancouver on Sunday, while Montreal will play the Canucks on Saturday and the Kraken on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

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