Not trying to be a homer here, but, my gosh, shouldn't the NHL be embarrassed with the way Michael McGeough and Dave Jackson officiated Game 4? For two periods they called, in my mind, a series of penalties for inconsequential plays, most of which went against Tampa Bay. The call on Jason Ward that led to Brian Gionta's first goal should never have been made. Ward said under the strict interpretation it wa a penalty but doesn't an act have to have an effect on a play before it is called? And putting the Lightning two men down at the end of the second period when Lecavalier barely touched the man he was accused of hooking shows a lack of understanding about the ebbs and flows of a game. And just to be even-handed, Patrik Elias shouldn't be called for interference when he is checking an opponent who has the puck.

Yeah, it's tough to be an NHL referee and it's easy for me to talk having a better view from up high. Doesn't matter. That is their job. And it is the playoffs when games should be officiated at the highest level.

And one other thing, if you're going to call the small stuff in the first period, keep calling it throughout.Let's not have one standard early and another late. Isn't that what the league was trying to avoid?

All in all a poor effort, I thought. The NHL must strive to do better.