Canadiens' Jakub Dobes alleges biased officiating in favor of Capitals after Game 4 loss

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes believes the officiating was one-sided, favoring the Washington Capitals during their Game 4 clash on Sunday.

The Canadiens suffered a crushing 5-2 defeat to the Capitals at Bell Centre Arena, trailing the best-of-seven Round 1 series 3-1. The Habs are on the brink of elimination and will be eliminated if they lose Game 5.

In the third period, Tom Wilson delivered a solid hit on Alexandre Carrier, contributing to the Capitals' second goal. However, no penalty was called on the play.

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After the game, Dobes expressed confusion about the rules, feeling the hit warranted a whistle.

"I don't really know the rules; I felt like it should have been a whistle - it was kinda a scary hit but I guess the rules don't apply for everyone in this League - I have no idea," he said.

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Head coach Martin St. Louis also expressed disappointment over penalty calls:

"I'll be careful with my words but it's hard to watch some of these [penalty] calls. To me tonight, like one of the mandates was about embellishing tonight." he said.

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Game 5 of the Round 1 series between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals returns to Capital One Arena on Wednesday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.

Montreal Canadiens on the brink of elimination after Game 5 defeat

The first period went goalless. Dylan Strome opened the scoring for the Capitals after putting them ahead 1-0 1:25 into the second period. Juraj Slafkovsky tied it 1-1 for the Canadiens after scoring on the power play at 10:33 before Cole Caufield's power play goal put the Habs up 2-1 before the final period.

The Capitals made a comeback in the final period. Brandon Duhaime tied the game for the Caps at 6:39 into the third. Andrew Mangiapane made it 3-2 at 16:63. With less than three minutes remaining, two empty-net goals from Duhaime and Tom Wilson secured a commanding 5-2 win for the Capitals in the game.

The Montreal Canadiens will hope to bounce back and push the series to Game 6.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta