The Tampa Bay Lightning had two goals taken off the board via Coach’s Challenge in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers. Anthony Cirelli was involved in both of them.

First Period, 7:00 Remaining
Call on the ice: Goal, Lightning
Coach’s Challenge: Panthers 

A shot from Tampa blueliner Victor Hedman was gloved down by Sergei Bobrovsky, with Anthony Duclair battling Gustav Forsling at the top of the crease. While the Panthers’ netminder blocked the initial shot, Duclair’s skate – clearly in the blue paint – prevents him from corralling the rebound. Cirelli picked up the loose puck and fired it in.

The call on the ice was a goal. Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice opted to challenge the play. After a few minutes, the call was overturned and the goal was waved off. From the NHL:

Video review determined Tampa Bay’s Anthony Duclair impaired Sergei Bobrovsky’s ability to play his position in the crease prior to Anthony Cirelli’s goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 69.1 which states, in part, “Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal.”

Duclair established position and got in Bobrovsky’s way of making a play, which is grounds for a ‘no goal’ call under Rule 69.

 

 

Second Period, 2:12 Remaining
Call on the ice: No goal, Lightning
Coach’s Challenge: Lightning

Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev fired a shot that eluded Bobrovsky to tie the game at 2-2. Once again, there was a Lightning player in the blue paint. This time it was Cirelli, jockeying for position with Florida defensman Niko Mikkola. Cirelli attempts to pivot away, bumping the goaltender just prior to the shot.

Referee Eric Furlatt immediately signaled no goal. Bolts head coach Jon Cooper disagreed, challenging the disallowed goal in hopes the Situation Room would rule that there was no goaltender interference on the play. From the NHL:

Video review confirmed Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli made incidental contact with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky which impaired his ability to play his position prior to the goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 69.1, which states in part, “Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal.”

Cirella was battling hard against Mikkola.  While the Cats’ d-man was pressuring him, it doesn’t appear he pushes Cirelli.  Rather, as the Bolts forward looks to move away, he turns right into the goaltender. Unfortunately, he needs to choose a path that would avoid such contact in the blue paint.  There was no question on the contact here for us, just a matter of how much Mikkola was responsible for it. 

The Situation Room felt that Cirelli simply didn’t do enough to avoid contact. As a result of the failed challenge, the Bolts were issued a minor penalty for delay of game. 

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was not pleased with the calls.

“This is clearly a turning point in the game. If anybody’s going to talk about this game, they’re going to talk about the goals that were taken away. In this league, when goals are at a premium and how all we’ve done is make the rules for more goal scoring.  Every year there seeems to be something we tweak so more goals can be scored, and that’s great.”

“But there’s mandates and the words [from the NHL] were to pull a goal off the board it has to be unbelievably egregious. That’s the standard to pull a goall off the board. Well, the first one’s on the board, and I couldn’t find anything remotely egregious about that. It’s really tough.  Forsling is holding on – it’s a full penalty – he’s holding on to Duclair. So he’s trying to yank, he’s trying to get his balance, it really doesn’t affect nothing. Bob misses the puck. It’s a net-front battle and it’s in the net.”

“The next one is a net front battle. I will give the goalie credit: he quit on the play. He completely quit. Didn’t see it, didn’t whatever, then flailed… There was maybe incidental contact at most, but now we have to challenge it because they saw the reaction of the goaltender. He duped them and so be it, but now we have to make that challenge.  Again, it’s like, net front battles aren’t allowed anymore? And that’s part of everybody’s game. The boxing out that goes there, it’s like prison rules in the playoffs, but it’s not prison rules for the goalie?  The second something happens…  we might as well put skirts on them then, if that’s how it’s going to be.  They have to battle through stuff too… It’s a war down there.  I think we’re letting the goalies off the hook.” 

“The spirit of the rule, especially in the playoffs, how do you let those slide?”

The Florida Panthers went 5-for-7 on Coach’s Challenges in the regular season, including 1-for-3 on goaltender interference. This is Paul Maurice’s first challenge of the postseason. Maurice and his coaching staff have gone 20-for-27 (74%) on challenges since he stepped behind the Panthers’ bench in 2022.

Tampa went 5-for-8 on Coach’s Challenges this season. Only one challenge this season resulted in an awarded goal that was initially waved off on the ice; that came from the Dallas Stars against the New York Rangers. Overall, teams went 1-for-5 (20%) on those types of ‘offensive’ challenges to overturn a no-goal call.

The Florida Panthers went on to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1 thanks to some late goals into an empty net, ending the Bolts’ season and advancing into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Referees for the game were Eric Furlatt (#27) and Trevor Hanson (#14), with linesmen Bevan Mills (#53) and Michel Cormier (#76).