The NHL is investigating after an official in Tuesday's game between the Predators and Red Wings appeared to be caught on a hot mic suggesting he was looking to call a penalty against Nashville, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The sound bite, which gained some traction after being shared on social media, occurred as the Predators broadcast was going to a commercial break in the second period.
As seen in the video above, while a clip of a Nashville scoring chance was being shown, a voice was heard saying, "It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a (expletive) penalty against Nashville early in the..." with the end of the clip cut off by the broadcast.
Predators winger Viktor Arvidsson had been called for a tripping penalty shortly before the comment was made. The game, which ended as a 2-0 Nashville win, featured four penalties for the Predators and three for the Red Wings.
Tim Peel and Kelly Sutherland were the officials in the game, although it's unclear which one of them was speaking in the clip.
Predators head coach John Hynes was asked about the incident post-game, but declined to share an opinion.
"...The referees are employees of the league and rather than me comment on it, it's an issue that I think the league will have to take care of," Hynes said, according to The Associated Press. "You're not so much worried about what's going on in those situations as we've got to be able to kill the penalty, we've got to be ready to play, and that's what I really liked about our team's reaction to that situation."
