During the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, every call counts, and games, and seasons are on the line. Thus, it should be a given that any referee bias must be eliminated, but unfortunately for Vancouver Canucks fans, they have not received that treatment.
Referee Kelly Sutherland is known for media appearances in off-seasons where he has been vocal about his disdain for the Vancouver Canucks, and it appears to be possibly making an impact on his on-ice conduct.
Canucks fans, who have seen Leon Draisaitl get hurt and Connor McDavid be clearly off his game, were hopeful that this would give them an edge in the series, but Sutherland is not helping them:
One fan then commented with evidence that is nearly statistically impossible:
Do you think it is fair for Kelly Sutherland to be reffing Vancouver Canucks games?
| POLL | ||
MAI 10 | 1234 ANSWERS NHL referee Kelly Sutherland accused of possibly fixing games Do you think Kelly Sutherland is biased against the Vancouver Canucks? | ||
| Yes | 786 | 63.7 % |
| No | 448 | 36.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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DECEMBER 6, 2025
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Brad Marchand | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jackson Blake | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Aatu Raty | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Brandt Clarke | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Neighbours | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Filip Forsberg | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jones | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Adam Larsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Sillinger | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Turcotte | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Lightning | 27 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 34 | |
| Bruins | 29 | 16 | 13 | - | 32 | |
| Canadiens | 26 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 31 | |
| Red Wings | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 31 | |
| Senators | 27 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 30 | |
| Maple Leafs | 27 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 29 | |
| Panthers | 26 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 26 | |
| Sabres | 28 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 26 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Capitals | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 37 | |
| Hurricanes | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 34 | |
| Penguins | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 33 | |
| Flyers | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 33 | |
| Islanders | 28 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 33 | |
| Devils | 28 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 33 | |
| Rangers | 29 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 32 | |
| Blue Jackets | 27 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 31 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 27 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 44 | |
| Stars | 29 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 43 | |
| Wild | 28 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 35 | |
| Mammoth | 29 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 31 | |
| Blackhawks | 27 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 30 | |
| Jets | 27 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 29 | |
| Blues | 28 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 25 | |
| Predators | 27 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 24 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Ducks | 28 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 35 | |
| Golden Knights | 27 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 34 | |
| Kings | 27 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 31 | |
| Oilers | 28 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 29 | |
| Sharks | 29 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 29 | |
| Kraken | 25 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 28 | |
| Flames | 29 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 24 | |
| Canucks | 28 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 23 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||