This column is under video review.
The original call on the ice is a good column. But really, does anyone in the National Hockey League know what’s good and what isn’t, anymore?
The Edmonton Oilers put four pucks behind stellar St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, and lost 3-2 in overtime Monday.
It’s just the way it is these days, folks. You win some, you lose some.
There’s no point whining about it.
We’re not saying the Oilers got ripped off by the zebras. As the curlers say, Edmonton just found itself on the wrong side of the inch Monday when it came to a pair of video reviews for goaltender interference that both went against them.
The fun started when Evander Kane thought he’d snapped a career-long 20-game goalless drought. The play was ruled a high stick and it was. The right call was made, and the game remained 1-0 into the second period when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins followed Zach Hyman to the net and stuffed home a rebound.
But, as it turned out, Hyman had rubbed Binnington’s shoulder on the way past, and even though the Blues goalie only opened up his five-hole for the puck to slip through well after Hyman was gone, the goal was disallowed.
Yes, there was contact. But not enough that Binnington — a serial reactor — had any reaction that belied being interfered with.
All we can say is, it’s a good thing Ryan Smyth’s career is over because he’d have about 40 career goals — not 386 — under the standard that defines goalie interference today.
Moments later Brayden Schenn blasted home a goal that was challenged by the Oilers because Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko’s stick was lodged in the equipment of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
Did it impede Skinner from making the save? Who really knows, anymore?
“He kind of stuffed me in the pad, and then because he’s a pretty tall guy the shaft didn’t allow me to get my blocker down to the puck,” Skinner explained.
That goal stood, which we believe it should have. But when the guys playing the game don’t know what’s allowed and what isn’t, it’s probably a sign of a confused mandate at video central in Toronto.
“It’s really hard for a ref to see, so I understand his point of view,” said Skinner. “He can’t really see underneath my blocker but it kind of catches my hand and I’m not able to make a save. But that’s the game. There are tough calls to be made, and sometimes they don’t go your way.”
The offside reviews have become easy compared to goaltender interference. There aren’t many derivations of an offside call, but with interference, there are 100 ways a goal can be called off.
There are, however, zero ways that a goal can be created by the offence-nullifying evolution in our game.
Good luck being the head coach that has to throw the proverbial challenge flag.
“His stick got into Stu’s pad enough that there was flexion in his stick,” began Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch. “You couldn’t really tell how much that influenced (the play), but just the fact that there was enough flexion in his stick and beats him on that side where the pressure is, we felt that that was a pretty good opportunity to challenge that.
“They didn’t see it the way we did.”
In the end the Oilers had to fight from behind to find a point in St. Louis, in a game played on ice so poor that 40 NHL players at times looked like they were playing ball hockey.
Connor McDavid stripped Colton Parayko of a puck and found Leon Draisaitl for a net-side one-timer with just 5:25 left in regulation, to send this one to overtime.
“Anytime we’re chasing the game leads and we need some offence, they tend to have more shifts together,” Knoblauch said. “The play that Connor made coming off that wall was incredible, and obviously Leon’s shot…”
In OT, Brandon Saad deftly hopped over the boards behind Mattias Ekholm and was rewarded with a breakaway. He beat Skinner to give his team two dearly needed points, pulling the Blues to within three of the Los Angeles Kings and the final wild-card spot out West.
OIL DROPS — Connor Brown picked up an assist, giving him five points (three goals) in his last eight games, after notching just five points in his previous 54 games… Sam Carrick won eight of 11 faceoffs for Edmonton. Since coming from Anaheim he’s 60.2 per cent in the circle… With a goal and an assist, Ekholm has 15 points — and five multi-point games – in his last 10 games.