NHL officials accused of match fixing as officiating controversy goes public between Oilers and Canucks

Linus Karlsson and Manny Malhotra watched Vancouver's opener turn on one late call that immediately put NHL officiating under the microscope.

The controversy came late in the third period against Edmonton, with the Canucks protecting a one-goal lead and working on the power play.

Karlsson was taken to the ice by Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm during the sequence. Ekholm's stick broke as the two players went down.

As Karlsson got back up, he delivered a light one-handed swipe at the broken stick. The officials responded by sending the Vancouver forward to the penalty box for slashing.

That decision erased the Canucks' power-play advantage at a point when Vancouver had a chance to protect its lead and drain valuable time off the clock.

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"Corrupt officiating trying to win their online bets"

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Instead, the door reopened for Mike Babcock's Oilers. Vasily Podkolzin eventually tied the game and sent the Edmonton crowd into full voice.

Karlsson call changes the late-game momentum

The frustration around the call centered on the full sequence. Ekholm initiated the contact that brought Karlsson down, while his stick had already broken before Karlsson's swipe.

The officials still identified Karlsson's action as the infraction, creating an immediate debate over how the sequence was judged.

Canucks reporter Daniel Wagner was among those who sharply questioned the decision on social media, focusing on Karlsson being taken down before receiving the penalty himself.

For Malhotra's bench, the timing made the decision even harder to ignore. A Vancouver power play with a late lead suddenly became a much different situation.

Edmonton took advantage of the opening, with Podkolzin producing the tying goal and forcing overtime.

Vancouver still found a response. Paul Cotter scored his second goal of the night in extra time, allowing the Canucks to escape Edmonton with the win.

That result won't erase the discussion around the Karlsson penalty. One of the NHL season's first major officiating debates arrived quickly, and it came on a call that nearly changed Vancouver's opening-night result.

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