The NHL’s Situation Room ruled that the puck never crossed the goal line on a potential game-tying goal from Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg.
The winger picked up a loose puck behind the net, swooping around and attempting to tuck it in alongside the post. Florida goaltender Anthony Stolarz made it across, getting his left pad on the puck. Referee Beau Halkidis, positioned right behind the net, waited before blowing the whistle.
With no goal called on the ice, the NHL’s Situation Room opted to take a second look and see if the puck crossed the line. After a lengthy review, the league ruled it did not.
The Situation Room initiated a video review to further examine whether Jakob Silfverberg’s shot entered the Florida net. There was no conclusive video evidence to show that Silfverberg’s shot crossed the Florida goal line and thus, the call on the ice was upheld
It’s a close call. The overhead view shows the puck crossing the line and contacting the goaltender’s pad. The Anaheim Ducks shared an image on social media of the play, appearing to show the puck over the goal line.
It’s difficult to confirm, with 100% certainty, that the puck completely crossed the goal line. Of course, the image quality on the goal cam is sketchy at best. The NHL has utilized cameras in the goal posts and in the crossbar in the past, though it appears those are no longer being utilized; no cameras were visible on the goal frames at Panthers vs. Ducks.
With video inconclusive, the league defers to the call on the ice, which was no goal.
If this had been called a goal on the ice, the evidence appears equally inconclusive to overturn that call. It’s simply too hard to tell.
“I really don’t have anything to say. I think anybody that watched the replay can form their own opinion,” said Ducks head coach Greg Cronin. “I saw the same thing that 16,000 people saw. I have to respect what they saw in Toronto. I have no control over it.”
“I’m looking at the monitor. There’s multiple angles. I look at their bench and it looked like they were getting ready to play a 2-2 game,” Cronin added. “I don’t know what Toronto’s looking at. I don’t know what their angle is, so maybe they saw something that I didn’t see. They make the call.”
The Anaheim coach appeared to choose his words carefully. Probably a good idea, since the Ducks’ bench boss has already been fined $25,000 this season for comments directed towards the officials.
Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg also spoke – rather diplomatically – about his no-goal.
“Initially, as the play happened, I kind of had a feeling in the back of my head that maybe this one’s not getting there. Looking at the Jumbotron, I think we can all agree on what we saw out there.”
“At the end of the day, you’ve gotta respect [the call]. The referees and up in Toronto, they’ve got iPads, they’ve got different looks to look at it, so you’ve just gotta trust that they’re making the right call out there. Unfortunately, it didnt bounce our way this time. It is what it is.”
Boy, where’s that puck tracking when you need it? Knowing exactly if – and when – the puck crossed the goal line would have made this a slam dunk review. Same with a recent no-goal from New York Rangers’ Will Cuylle and potentially a goal from the Maple Leafs vs. Detroit. If we can’t get better cameras, can we use puck tracking for more than just fancy stats and actually use the technology to improve the game on the ice?
The Florida Panthers won the game 2-1 over the Ducks. Referees were Chris Rooney (#5) and Beau Halkidis (#48), with linesmen Tommy Hughes (#65) and Jesse Marquis (#86).
