The Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 2 had shades of the 4 Nations Final as Connor McDavid’s individual brilliance helped Leon Draisaitl score the winning goal in OT. “I mean, there is no way that anybody on the planet staring down 97 and 29 skating, freely skating through the neutral zone, has a chance. There’s simply no chance,” said TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. While discussing that final goal.
McDavid received the puck from Corey Perry, then proceeded to nutmeg Jack Eichel and bamboozle Alex Pietrangelo and Adin Hill before passing the puck to Draisaitl. No. 29 made no mistakes, smashing the puck in the back of the net. Yet, it’s what happened before this decisive overtime goal that enraged the Golden Knights fans. It was a no-call that the Sportnets panelists couldn’t stop discussing after the Oilers won.
“Should say, they did get fortunate,” said one of the analysts as they reviewed the footage of Viktor Arvidsson and Brayden McNabb contesting the puck. ‘That was a penalty on McNabb, Arvidsson on McNabb right before,” the analyst added. The footage showed McNabb hitting the boards face-first. While Arvidsson didn’t clearly push the Vegas Golden Knights star, he did stick his hockey stick in front of McNabb to knock away the puck.
“McNabb went down right away, it looked like he jammed his arm or wrist or something,” commented the analyst. Even an analyst from the Oilers panel agreed. “That’s definitely a penalty in my book,” he added. Guess what? That’s exactly what the Vegas fans had been fuming about on social media. In fact, they didn’t even hesitate like the Sportsnet analyst and argued that Viktor Arvidsson tripped Brayden McNabb. The fans were furious that what they felt should’ve been a serious penalty didn’t even draw the officials’ attention.
“They did get fortunate.”
The panel give their thoughts on the missed call on Viktor Arvidsson in overtime that could have resulted in a powerplay for the Golden knights. pic.twitter.com/F1UixPKIrf
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2025
What’s worse? The fall wasn’t a harmless one. McNabb and Arvidsson skated at full speed. However, the Vegas Golden Knights star couldn’t hit the brakes. CBS Sports reported that Brayden McNabb suffered an ‘apparent upperbody injury’ in the fall. While the nature of the injuries remains undisclosed, the fans had no qualms about disclosing their anger toward the officials.
Vegas Golden Knights fans had questions
One fan couldn’t fathom how the officials missed a call, ultimately leading to the game-winning goal. “Pretty crazy how the refs let this trip go. Led to a change of possession and Oilers goal RIGHT AFTER,” commented the fan. Meanwhile, another fan directly questioned the referees on the ice. “Not a penalty? What are we doing here, NHL refs?” asked the hockey fan.
Unfortunately, no-calls have already plagued the NHL playoffs this year. Take Aaron Ekblad elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brandon Hagel in Round 1, for example. While Lightning fans were outraged by the hit, the refs completely missed the infraction during the game. So, it’s not surprising that the Vegas Golden Knights fans are similarly questioning the officiating.
One fan even said Arvidsson’s trip was the worst example of a no-call. “Is this the worst the officiating has been in the NHL? Unreal no-call,” commented the fan. It’s safe to say that Knights coach Bruce Cassidy would agree with at least the latter part of that statement. Cassidy was equally furious with the call ahead of the Oilers’ game-winning goal.
“Listen, Gord (Dwyer) is looking at it. He blew it, he missed the call. I don’t know what else to say… It’s a can-opener trip, it’s a dangerous play, it’s all those things. But it didn’t get called, so you’ve got to keep playing,” said Cassidy, frustrated by the incident. Even some Edmonton Oilers fans agreed with the Vegas Golden Knights community.
“Oiler fan here, definite pen,” commented the netizen. Finally, there were those Vegas fans who didn’t want the incident to go unpunished. “Inexcusable by the refs, and Arvidsson needs to be suspended,” demanded one Knights fan. It’s not unrealistic to think something like this may happen. After all, the NHL Player Safety department did review the Ekblad hit.
The result was a phone hearing and a two-game suspension for the Florida Panthers’ defenseman. While the league didn’t say anything regarding the Arvidsson-McNabb incident, the NHL might take action if it feels it’s necessary. Yet, what do you think of the incident? Do you agree with the Vegas Golden Knights fans? Tell us in the comments.
The post Vegas Golden Knights Fans’ Anger Fueled as Edmonton Oilers Controversial ‘No Call’ Criticized by NHL Analysts: “Definitely a Penalty” appeared first on EssentiallySports.