"Refs favoritism for Panthers on full display": NHL twitter in a frenzy over no-penalty call of Carter Verhaeghe's slam of Evan Bouchard into boards

Carter Verhaeghe’s hit on Evan Bouchard in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday has led to strong reactions on NHL Twitter. The Florida Panthers took an early 3–0 lead against the Edmonton Oilers in the first period. The Panthers looked strong, and the Oilers struggled to keep up.

Just before their third goal, Verhaeghe hit the Oilers defenseman hard from behind. The referees did not call a penalty. Soon after, Verhaeghe’s stick hit Troy Stecher in the head; officials also allowed play to continue. Verhaeghe won the puck battle and passed to Anton Lundell, who scored.

Spittin' Chiclets posted the video on X and said,

"Carter Verhaeghe caught Bouchard hard from behind. There was no call on the play."

Fans shared their thoughts about the missed penalty.

"Refs favouritism for Panthers on full display," a fan said.

"It’s a clean hit for Florida. For Edmonton, it’s a charging penalty. That’s how it works," commented another fan.

"If it was an Oiler hitting a FLA player, it would have been," one X user commented on the no-call.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X.

"Should be a 5 game suspension. Bouchard might never play the same again," one fan wrote.

"The crazy thing is the ref is looking at it," another fan commented.

"Dirty Panthers," a fan tweeted.

Earlier, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch expressed frustration over inconsistent officiating against Panthers

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch was unhappy with the referees after their Game 3 loss to Florida. The team lost 6-1 after taking 21 penalties. He said the refs made the right call on a too-many-men penalty in the first period.

But he pointed out they missed a similar call in Game 2’s overtime. That missed call happened just before Florida scored the winning goal. Knoblauch used sarcasm to express his frustration with the inconsistency.

“I think the referees did an outstanding job tonight, and they even caught the too many men penalty in the first, which was too many men," Knoblauch said, via Oilers Nation. "They caught us there. I just wish they had been calling it in Game 2 in overtime.”

Knoblauch felt the Oilers got called more often than Florida for similar actions. Despite the physical play in the third period, Knoblauch said it wouldn't have happened in a close game. He believes some players were just making a statement for the next game.