Officials miss puck hit protective netting, Blue Jackets score non-reviewable goal seconds later
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Blue Jackets’ first goal of Game 4 comes with considerable controversy. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Columbus’ Artemi Panarin scored just seconds after the puck bounced off the protective netting without the officials noticing. And because of how the goal went down, the goal couldn’t go to video review.
Watch closely in the top-right corner of the above video. The puck clearly trampolines off the netting and flops back on to the ice. Charlie McAvoy didn’t see the puck in time as it landed right by an alert Oliver Bjorkstrand, who fed the puck through the slot to Artemi Panarin for the finish.
Because of the language of the NHL rulebook regarding the officials missing the puck hitting the netting, the play couldn’t go to video review. Sportsnet’s John Shannon dug up the pertinent rule. It states that to initiate video review, the puck would have to “immediately” go in off the netting and off any player, or be “directed” into the net by the player who retrieves the puck, in this case Bjorkstrand.
Puck off mesh? Here's the only way the Situation Room can get involved...key words..."DIRECTLY" and "IMMEDIATELY"#StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Xh3r7cZdE5
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) May 3, 2019
A simple fix to this rule could be if it ends up in a goal or an assist, so Bjorkstrand’s pass could be disallowed. But because Panarin wasn’t “the player who retrieves the puck”, the above rule does not apply. Bruins fans have to live with an egregious miss by the officials.
This appears to be a rule that will be looked at after this incident. That won’t help the B’s in Game 4, though. The goal counted and the B’s clung to a 2-1 lead after two periods. But if the NHL is going to have video review at all, this was absolutely the kind of play that warrants it.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
