I’ve heard this same phrase repeated throughout the playoffs this season - “the refs let them play” and “the League doesn’t want to be the deciding factor in a series”, as if hockey is better off when goonery runs rampant. As if viewers appreciate the game more when there are fewer stoppages for penalties. As if an unwillingness to enforce the rules is something to be celebrated. It absolutely shouldn’t be.
By making a call, refs are actually NOT affecting or deciding the game. They are enforcing the written and agreed-upon rules of hockey, allowing the game to play out and progress as it is meant to.