Numbers prove Darryl Sutter wrong about NHL favoring Leafs

Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter took issue with the NHL officials who called Saturday night's game involving his Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto. And needless to say, Sutter was a bit less than thrilled with the performance of the on-ice stripes, seemingly implying that they had a bias in making their calls in order to favor the home team. 

“Well, that’s one thing I learned a long time ago, when you’re in Chicago all those years: When you come into Toronto you know what goes on,” said a clearly agitated Sutter.

“I won’t say nothing more.”

“Do you think they were all penalties tonight?" he continued. "I don’t.”

However, a breakdown of the numbers show that Sutter may want to rethink his position. As it currently stands, the Flames have been called for 126 penalties so far during the 2022-23 NHL season. The Leafs? 112. Meanwhile, the Leafs are currently ranked 19th in penalty minutes per game (8:55) and Calgary at 15th (9:40). 

And what's more, the Flames have drawn nearly 200 more penalties than the Leafs since the 2018-19 season, which would mean that the officials favor them more than Toronto. 

Sorry Darryl, but the numbers simply don't support your argument!