“It was a frustrating game because we were in the box a lot, to my dismay, and there’s a lot of whistles so we couldn’t get any flow going,” said St. Louis coach Jim Montgomery. That statement may sound like something the coach of a losing team would say. Yet, it couldn’t be further from reality. Instead, the NHL coach said this after his team got a 4-1 win over the Predators.

Yet, that statement was a telltale sign of how many viewed the officiating during the clash. The St. Louis Blues player’s frustration came to a boiling point in the final period, when forward Zack Bolduc couldn’t keep his cool. Watching Nashville’s Nick Blankenburg go in for a big hit on Robert Thomas only to trip and fall triggered Bolduc to immediately react with a cross-check.

Hitting a downed player with two cross-checks only earned Bolduc a 5-minute major and misconduct penalty. Yet, many who shared a similar sentiment about the officiating with Coach Montgomery didn’t find Bolduc at fault. So when the NHL’s Department of Player Safety slapped the forward with a $2,248.26 fine, they came to the player’s defense.

“Y’ll are a joke! Officiating was terrible in the game,” commented one fan. “Bad officiating leads to players having to protect themselves and teammates,” added the individual. The netizen’s comment echoed Jim Montgomery’s words regarding his team’s frustration. “I could sense frustration, especially from our forward group,” the coach added in a post-game interview.

The entire sequence happened when the Blues were already 3-1 up on the scoreboard. While it’s unclear whether Blankenburg made a last desperate attempt to stop Thomas from skating away with the puck, the incident happened right in front of Zack Bolduc, who reacted immediately. Thomas said it was a “tough game,” and tempers were high as Nashville was a “division rival.” Maybe that’s why most fans in the comment section empathized with the NHL forward.

NHL fans saw it from Zack Bolduc’s perspective

With the coach, players, and fans agreeing that tempers would flare during a clash between divisional rivals, most thought Zack Bolduc was simply standing up for his teammate. “I am sure everyone on the team will chip in a few bucks and pay it for him. Glad he stuck up for the team,” commented the fan. And he may be right about the 22-year-old’s teammates being thankful.

Robert Thomas dogged the hit and turned around to see what transpired. He later discussed Bolduc striking up for him while speaking to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Much appreciated,” Thomas said about Bolduc. “He’s playing amazing hockey. He’s playing the right way. It was nice for him to stick up for me, and definitely owe him,” said the NHL center.

Hockey fans continued voicing their objections about how the referees’ handled the entire match. One fan even alleged that had the officials made better calls, such an incident would’ve been avoided in the first place. “Fine the refs for letting it get to that point,” stated the netizen. Another fan even suggested the NHL should similarly scrutinize the officials’ calls.

“Where’s the investigation for the refs!?” commented the fans. While the league may not grant the fan’s wish, everyone, including the Nashville Predators, agreed it was a difficult contest. “I thought our guys played hard and didn’t get rewarded again tonight… But I thought we rose up to the challenge to match their intensity,” said Predators coach Andrew Brunette.

Meanwhile, others defending Zack Bolduc explained that his actions were a reaction to Nick Blankenburg’s hit attempt. One fan asked whether the NHL Player Safety considered the Nashville defenseman’s role. “Trying not to come off like an angry Blues fan, but nothing about the leg stuck out that could have also led to a serious injury?” asked the fan.

However, the Player Safety Department may consider all the aspects before penalizing Bolduc. While the 22-year-old did get punished with the maximum (“allowable under the CBA,”) fine, they didn’t suspend him. This was in stark contrast to Connor McDavid getting a multiple-game suspension for a similar offense earlier in the year. Hence, this won’t harm the Blues’s bottom line.

While no one wants to get hit with a fine, not being able to play when your team is on a six-game win streak could be worse. Zack Bolduc has become a consistent contributor in recent games, and sports 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 62 games. So the forward getting benched while the Blues push for the NHL playoff wildcard would be far from ideal. It’s like coach Jim Montgomery said: “Tonight, it was an ugly game to win, but we won it again.”