Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno took exception with two penalties called against him in Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Foligno says both calls on him were “bullshit.”
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 24, 2023
Foligno was whistled for interference at 14:53 of the second period on a hit on Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.
There are plenty of criteria for interference. The most common – which applies here – would be for hitting a player not in possession of the puck. From Rule 56:
A minor penalty for interference shall be imposed: (i) On a player who interferes with or impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck
Hakanpaa, having just moved the puck, would be considered still in possession of the puck. Foligno’s hit did not appear to be late when viewed in real time.
Foligno’s second penalty of the game was assessed with 4:49 remaining in the third period. The Wild winger took a run at Dallas forward Mason Marchment, intending to deliver a body check. Marchment pulled up and attempted to avoid the hit. The two players clipped each other, with Foligno crashing into the boards and Marchment falling to the ice.
Foligno was called for tripping.
This penalty proved to be costly. The Stars scored the eventual game-winning goal on the ensuing power play.
“It’s a joke. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Foligno. “I go to hit a guy. He touches the puck. It’s not interference. I get high-sticked in the face. It’s not a tripping call when you hit a guy clean on.”
The Dallas Stars won the game 3-2 to tie up their first round series at 2-2. Referees for the game were Kevin Pollock (#33) and Garrett Rank (#7), with linesmen Michel Cormier (#76) and Devin Berg (#87).
