"Should be a 4 min penalty for diving" - NHL fans react to referee's controversial call during New York Rangers vs Colorado Avalanche game

In a recent game between the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche, NHL fans were left fuming after a contentious call by the referees stole the spotlight in the first period. The game took a dramatic turn when the referees penalized the Rangers' Alexis Lafreniere for tripping Colorado's Miles Wood.

Fans were left in disbelief and outrage when they saw that Lafreniere was tripped by his own teammate, Josh Manson.

The controversial call ignited reactions from NHL fans.

"There's a lot more diving in the NHL lately. Should be a 4 min penalty for diving," one fan pointed.

One disgruntled fan pointed out the inconsistency in the officiating.

"If they can review a high stick and reverse it for friendly fire, why can't they for something like that? I know it's a fine line (reviewing everything), but a 30-second review wouldn't hurt anything," one fan said.

Another fan expressed frustration at the perceived lack of fairness in officiating, stating,

"If u watch all Rangers games like I have this year, this isn't a surprise."

Furthermore, the incident wasn't an isolated one. One fan said:

"Same thing happened the last time we played the Avs, Laf got blamed for a high stick that was Makar’s that hit his own teammate."

New York Rangers secured a win over the Avalanche at Madison Square Garden

The New York Rangers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 at Madison Square Garden, with Alexis Lafreniere sealing the victory with an overtime goal at 1:53. Mika Zibanejad set up Lafreniere's winning shot, which Jonathan Quick praised for his crucial secondary assist.

"I shouldn't wander out that far, but it felt like the right play when I started skating," Quick said. "I thought I faked him; he didn't bite and I realized I was in a little bit of trouble. Luckily, I bobbled it a little bit and got it into the neutral zone. The boys were able to take care of it from there."

Artemi Panarin's third-period goal equalized the score, setting the stage for Lafreniere's heroics.

Nathan MacKinnon extended his impressive point streak to 14 games, netting Colorado's lone goal. However, the Avalanche couldn't capitalize further, falling short in overtime.

"We knew what was coming at us, and sometimes I feel like I can do a better job of explaining things. We were in place, we were in position, but after that happened we made a quick adjustment inside the room and were able to handle that speed a little bit more," New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.

Quick's crucial save in the dying moments ensured the New York Rangers' chance in overtime.