What do you love about the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Ask somebody and they’ll almost immediately, without even a lick of hesitation, tell you that it’s the almost frantic pace of play for 60 minutes.
Well, it was the pace before the Coach’s Challenge decided to have its say this spring.
In last night’s Game 6 affair at Amalie Arena between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, a game in which the Penguins deservedly extended the series to a winner-take-all Game 7 in Pittsburgh on Thursday night behind their 4-2 victory, the Lightning appeared to have struck first with an early first period goal from ultra elusive winger Jonathan Drouin.
Drouin, without a Pittsburgh defenseman even close to him, banged one through an outstretched Matt Murray, at the 5:12 mark of the period. The goal, Drouin’s fifth of the postseason, was a tone-setter in a first period that was really all Pittsburgh (Tampa Bay really didn’t show up ‘til the third).
Except the goal didn’t count.
Thanks to the most ridiculous, nonsensical rule in the league today. Yes, even worse than the delay of game, and maybe even as ridiculous as the jersey tuck rule, though I’m not ready to go there just yet.
The goal did not count because Drouin’s front leg was an inch over the line while his back leg was millimeters off the ice, which, of course, ruled Drouin offside on Victor Hedman’s zone entry.
Come. The. [Bleep]. On.
By now, everybody is familiar with this rule, and everybody’s been burned by it. But I’ve yet to hear something that explains the tactical advantage gained by Drouin’s skate -- or anybody’s for that matter -- being in the air a good eight seconds before the goal is scored. Because it doesn’t give you one. Period.
It’s a mere technical footnote -- or skatenote (God, I hate myself) -- on an otherwise good hockey goal.
I’m not here for a two-thousand word thinkpiece on how the National Hockey League can fix this challenge/review process, because you’ve read a billion of those by now, but if they are serious about fixing this (something that was an undeniably hot topic at the annual GM meetings this past winter), this rule has to be the first one addressed, no? If there’s a clear advantage to be had by this -- like on a breakaway goal for example -- then sure, deny that goal. Make it yet another judgement call.
But don’t try to seriously tell me or anybody that Drouin’s airborne back leg was the reason that Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang forgot he was on the ice before it was too late.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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