Following a stretch that saw his recently-torrid Anaheim Ducks score just two goals over eight periods, Teemu Selanne did not mince words Thursday night.

After the Ducks came out on the short end of a 2-1 decision in Edmonton, Selanne blasted referees Bill McCreary and Kelly Sutherland, the Oilers' style of play, and the league's commitment to the new rules.

Robert Tychkowski's column in Friday's Edmonton Sun quotes Selanne as saying there are some players on the Oilers who could take penalties on every shift. The Finnish Flash continues by referring to the game as a jungle and stating he does not even know what the new rules are anymore.

Selanne said he is not making excuses, and the Ducks will indeed have to find a way to win Saturday in San Jose, regardless of the officiating, if they get the desired first-round matchup with the Nashville Predators.

Selanne was not the only one complaining about the officiating Thursday, however. Ducks' television commentators John Ahlers and Brian Hayward expressed dismay over the way the game was being called -- or more accurately -- not being called.

Nobody is suggesting the Ducks lost the game because of the officiating. The Oilers, playing in front of an electric home crowd, played an excellent playoff-style game. Edmonton's penalty kill was impeccable, denying the Ducks any good chances by cutting off all passing lanes to point man Ryan Getzlaf. The rookie has been criticized at times for not keeping the puck in at the point in all situations, but there is no denying his wicked shot has been the catalyst for an effective Ducks' power play in recent weeks.

The Oilers also came up with timely goals, including the game-winner in the dying seconds of the third period. Considering the playoff-like atmosphere in Rexall Place, it was almost inevitable the Oilers would win this one.

Having said all of that, the game was, in a word, ugly.

As Ahlers and Hayward said, this was 2004 all over again. Both teams were getting away with hooks, holds, and tugs in large numbers, while open ice was nowhere to be found. To say a half-dozen penalties could have been called on single shifts is not an exaggeration -- at least, not by the standards we have been told would apply throughout the entire season.

And therein lays the problem. The NHL has told us repeatedly this crackdown on hooking, holding, clutching and grabbing would continue through the entire season and the playoffs. Until a couple of weeks ago, it seemed that would be the case.

The issue is certainly not unique to Ducks' games, as other games have degenerated into quicksand-style hockey. For Anaheim, however, this was the second consecutive game of relaxed standards.

In Tuesday's 3-0 loss in Calgary, referees Mike Hasenfratz and Brad Watson called just six penalties -- four against the Flames, two against the Ducks. While none of the calls made a difference in the outcome, the non-calls had more of an impact.

Again, nobody is suggesting the Ducks lost this game because of the officiating. Yet at the same time, Anaheim is a team built for the new NHL. We have heard for months the new NHL is here for good -- no matter what time of year. The Ducks have built an aggressive forechecking style, a style that is all but impossible to employ in a clutch and grab style of game.

The difference shows in the standings. After an incredible three month stretch, Anaheim has lost three of their last five games, and all three were games that could be considered loosely officiated.

Actions speak louder than words, and the NHL needs to speak with actions. If something was a hook or a hold in October, it needs to be a hook or hold in April. In the past, teams knew the standard would be relaxed come playoff time, and teams were constructed in that fashion.

This year was supposed to be different. This was supposed to be the year up-tempo, forechecking teams like Anaheim, Carolina, and Edmonton were supposed to be able to play their entertaining style unobstructed.  

If the league backs off on the enforcement of the rules at this point, it will be far tougher -- or even impossible -- to change the culture of the game at a later point. If the playoffs turn into a mud bog, the general managers who constructed their team for the new NHL will feel deceived, and they will likely build their team in a slow-down, clutch and grab style in the future.  

Right now, the league's culture is changing. Wide-open, fire wagon hockey has returned for the first time in years. The NHL would be wise to ensure that continues, and the only way to do that is to call the games the way they were for the first six months of the season. Anything less, and the new NHL will end up looking exactly like the old NHL.