Blue Jackets' Rick Bowness Calls Out Officiating Bias

According to Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness, the NHL has an officiating issue.

Apr 30, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness talks to media after their loss to the Colorado Avalanche in game five of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images | James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness wasn't pleased with the officiating in their recent shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Blue Jackets' head coach pointed to the team's lack of power play opportunities as his biggest gripe. In that contest, the Flyers had four power play opportunities compared to just one for the Jackets.

According to Bowness, this is a growing problem. In his postgame comments, he shared his displeasure with the officiating and their inability to grant his team power plays. He also called it a "lack of respect" for his hockey club.

"I don’t understand why we’re always the team in the league that has the least amount of power plays. I don’t understand that," he stated. "There’s a little lack of respect for our hockey club, and we’re going to change that and we’re going to keep pushing and we’re going to keep battling. Somehow, we’re going to have to draw some penalties."

Are the Blue Jackets Being Disrespected?

The Blue Jackets have struggled all season on the power play. They enter the home stretch of the regular season with the 18th-ranked power play unit in the NHL. They've converted on just 20.1% of their opportunities, but part of the problem in Bowness's mind is that they aren't getting enough opportunities.

Is that the case?

Well, according to data collected by QuantHockey, Bowness might have a case.

This season, the Blue Jackets have been awarded the fewest number of power play opportunities. Teams like the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche have all had over 200 power play chances this season.

The Blue Jackets have had just 153, eight less than the next team on this list, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mar 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) plays the puck against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Incredible Disciplined Blue Jackets

It seems like maybe the Blue Jackets are just one of the most disciplined teams in the NHL, and the officials tend to swallow their whistles in their games.

While the Jackets can't buy a power play, they also haven't had to kill off as many penalties as the rest of the league. They've had 183 penalty killing opportunities through 66 games. That figure ranks 23rd in the NHL. For comparison, the Boston Bruins are the most penalized team, with over 220 penalty killing opportunities.

Bowness was clearly frustrated with the situation, and it appears his anger is well-founded. The Blue Jackets are right behind a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, and every chance and opportunity matters. Hopefully, with 16 games remaining, the Blue Jackets are given more power plays and more respect.

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