The Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks set an NHL record on Monday, though both teams likely would have preferred not to. The clubs combined for four goals disallowed due to Coach’s Challenges.
Thirteen goals were scored in the game, but only nine of them counted.
Here’s a breakdown of the overturned goals:
1. No Goal, Sharks
Offside, 1:13 of the First Period
San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov made a brilliant cross-ice pass to set up Tomas Hertl for the game’s opening goal just over a minute in. Edmonton challenged the goal for offside.
Barabanov preceded the puck into the attacking zone, which is only permitted if he has both possession and control of the puck. While he had batted the puck into the zone from center ice, he did not maintain control and put himself offside when he completely cleared the line ahead of the puck.
Linesmen Jesse Marquis and Travis Toomey donned the headsets and checked in with the Situation Room, who waved off the goal.
From the NHL:
Video review determined that San Jose’s Alexander Barabanov preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an off-side position prior to Tomas Hertl’s goal. According to Rule 38.9, “The standard for overturning the call in the event of a ‘GOAL’ call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room, after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the On-Ice Official(s), determines that one or more Players on the attacking team preceded the puck into the attacking zone prior to the goal being scored and that, as a result, the play should have been stopped for an ‘Off-Side’ infraction; where this standard is met, the goal will be disallowed.”
The clock is reset to show 18:55 (1:05 elapsed time), when the off-side infraction occurred.
Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse credited the team’s video crew.
“It’s a great job by the video staff. They had the eye there and it was great on their part,” Nurse said. “They have great attention to detail and I think a good awareness of how things are getting called in the league, because sometimes, you think things are going to come back and it’s not. So, they have a good awareness of when to make the call and when not to.”
2. No Goal, Oilers
Goaltender Interference, 9:21 of the First Period
With the game tied at 1-1 midway through the first, Edmonton’s Zach Hyman deflected the puck past goaltender James Reimer to give the Oilers the lead. While the deflection was good, coming after a tip by Leon Draisatl that hit the goaltender and bounced off Hyman’s chest, the Oilers’ winger’s positioning was not. He had both skates in the blue paint, preventing Reimer from being able to play his position.
A quick review and the goal was disallowed.
From the Situation Room:
Video review determined Edmonton’s Zach Hyman had a significant presence in the crease which impaired James Reimer’s 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.”
3. No Goal, Sharks
Goaltender Interference, 6:01 of the Second Period
San Jose’s potential game-tying goal came off ther stick of Andreas Johnsson, who fired a shot from the slot that eluded Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell. Sharks captain Logan Couture provided a good screen at the top of the crease. Well, perhaps not a good screen; while effective, he ended up in the crease and getting in the way of Campbell’s attempted save.
Refs Jake Brenk and Corey Syvret went back to the tablets to discuss the play with Toronto, who wiped the goal off the board, keeping the game at 2-1 Oilers.
The Situation Room provided their explanation:
Video review determined San Jose’s Logan Couture impaired Jack Campbell’s ability to play his position in the crease 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.”
4. No Goal, Sharks
Offside, 4:03 of the Third Period
The record-setting Coach’s Challenge came on another offside, on anothe potential game-tying goal. This was a classic offside, with San Jose Sharks forward Noah Gregor crossing the blueline ahead of the puck. Linesman Jesse Marquis, well-positioned on the line, may have had his vew partially obscured by the puck carrier on a play that came down to millimeters.
A challenge and review later, and they got the call right. A close one that likely didn’t impact the play, but if we’re allowing offside reviews, the league has made sure to get them right.
No goal, Sharks… again.
The Situation Room’s official explanation:
Video review determined San Jose’s Noah Gregor preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an off-side position prior to his goal. According to Rule 38.9, “The standard for overturning the call in the event of a ‘GOAL’ call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room, after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the On-Ice Official(s), determines that one or more Players on the attacking team preceded the puck into the attacking zone prior to the goal being scored and that, as a result, the play should have been stopped for an ‘Off-Side’ infraction; where this standard is met, the goal will be disallowed.”
The clock is reset to show 16:00 (4:00 elapsed time), when the off-side infraction occurred
Newly-acquired Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm appreciated the video review crew’s attention to detail.
“What’s their margin of error? It’s an offside by inches, right? ” asked Ekholm. “Because you’re supposed to always be right when you challenge, it’s kind of not so rewarding job at times and pretty hard because you always have to be right.”
The San Jose Sharks go offside, resulting in their third goal of the game disallowed by a Coach’s Challenge
Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft is 9-for-11 this season on Coach’s Challenges, including a streak of seven successful challenges. He went three-for-three against the Sharks, a mark he credits to his staff.
“We have two video coaches that do a really good job for us, and we have a process that we believe in,” Woodcroft said per NHL.com. “We spend a lot of time studying what gets called around the league. We ask a lot of questions. In the end, when you do your work like that, when the pressure time comes, we have a process that we follow. Tonight we were proven right on a few, but it wouldn’t happen without Jeremy and Noah.”
The Oilers have been stripped of seven goals due to challenges this year. The Sharks have lost four.
“That’s the game we play now, that’s the technology I guess,” said San Jose forward Steven Lorentz. “I don’t really have a whole lot to say on that. It’s frustrating when you can slow plays down like that. It seems like we are usually coming out on the short end of the stick, so it’s too bad. But, that’s the game and those are the rules so whether it’s that the pucks weren’t going in or goalie interference or whatever the calls were, when you can look at it 15-20 times and slow it down, that’s what the result is. It’s too bad, but that’s life.”
San Jose’s coaching staff, led by head coach David Quinn, has gone 6 of 7 (85.7%) this season on challenges.
We’ve seen four goals waved off in one day before, but never all in the same game. Until Monday.
“I don’t think [the video staff] get enough credit with what they do,” said Ekholm, of the desk jockeys that kept three goals off the board in an eventual one-goal victory. “They won us the game tonight.”
Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman has his goal disallowed for goaltender interference
Since the NHL implemented Coach’s Challenges for the 2015-16 season, 769 goals have been wiped out due to Coach’s Challenges, with another 36 eliminated by Hockey Ops via automatic challenges in the final minute of regulation or during overtime.
This season, the league has had 174 challenges, with 117 goals lost to Coach’s Challenges, for a challenge success rate of 67%. Of those, 35 of 72 (48.6%) were overturned for goaltender interference, 77 of 89 (86.5%) for offside, and 5 of 13 (38.5%) for missed stoppages.
