No penalty was called after Ottawa Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker caught an over-the-net pass from the Vancouver Canucks’ Nils Höglander and tossed it into the corner.
Höglander played the puck behind the net, flipping it onto his stick as if he were about to set up to attempt a lacrosse-style goal. Instead of going around, though, Höglander went up. He flipped the puck over the net, hoping either for a bounce in off the goaltender or across the crease to center Pius Suter.
Instead, the puck was intercepted by Bernard-Docker, who gloved it aside.
The teams played on, with no penalty called. Some thought that a penalty shot would be warranted for the Sens’ defenseman closing his hand on the puck in the crease.
Why No Penalty Shot?
Here’s the relevant excerpt from Rule 67.4:
If a defending player … holds the puck … in the goal crease area, the play shall be stopped immediately and a penalty shot shall be awarded to the non-offending team.
This play didn’t happen in the crease.
Sure, it was in the blue paint, but for the purposes of this rule, the crease only extends upward to the crossbar. Anything over that four-foot-high mark is not considered to be in the crease.
Fine… What About a Penalty?
Closing your hand on the puck outside the goal crease can still result in a penalty. Here’s 67.2:
A player shall be permitted to catch the puck out of the air but must immediately place it or knock it down to the ice.
I’m almost tempted to stop right there, since that’s exactly what Bernard-Docker did on this play. Nevertheless, let’s continue.
A player shall be assessed a minor penalty for “closing his hand on the puck”:
(i) If he catches it and skates with it, either to avoid a check or to gain a territorial advantage over his opponent;
(ii) If he places his hand over the puck while it is on the ice in order to conceal it from or prevent an opponent from playing the puck;
(iii) If he picks the puck up off the ice with his hand while play is in progress.
It’s clear he didn’t skate with it, cover it on the ice, nor pick it up from the ice. No call was the right call here.
The Canucks didn’t lose much sleep over the play, leading 5-2 at the time.
“That’s just Nils being Nils,” said Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson. “There was someone in front of the net, so if their guy doesn’t take it with their hand, then I think it’s a good play. It’s fun to see.”
Vancouver went on to defeat the Senators 6-3. Referees for the game were Chris Lee (#28) and Pierre Lambert (#37), with Jonathan Deschamps (#80) and Bevan Mills (#53) on the lines.
