The NHL has become a laughingstock, and the Montreal Canadiens are its victims

In the last minute of the 3rd period, the Canadiens were trailing 4-3, had a power play, and Jake Allen was pulled for an extra attacker. The Capitals cleared the puck from their zone, which is legal when a team has a player in the penalty box.

The referee made a monumental blunder by calling a stoppage of play nonetheless, forcing a faceoff at center ice. Martin St-Louis had to send Jake Allen back into the mix, and the Canadiens lost precious seconds.

The fact is that restarting the attack at 6-on-4 would have taken about 5 seconds, while regaining control of the puck, sending Allen back to the bench, and everything else can take much more time.

Many journalists and experts are outraged by such an error in the NHL. It's the kind of mistake that can have a major impact on the outcome of a game.