The Colorado Avalanche thought they’d scored four times on Wednesday night. Only two of them counted.

Colorado had a pair of goals taken off the board in the first ten minutes against the Dallas Stars – one on a successful offside challenge, the other on a video review for a distinct kicking motion – then watched Gavin Brindley’s potential tying goal ring off both posts in the third period. 

Schwartz’s Opener Wiped Out on an Offside Challenge

The Avalanche thought they had the opening goal just 1:55 into the game when Jaden Schwartz beat Casey DeSmith. Dallas head coach Glen Gulutzan challenged the play for offside.  The Stars were right.

Video review determined that Colorado’s T.J. Hughes preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was in an offside position before Schwartz’s goal. The goal was disallowed, the clock was reset to the time of the infraction, and the game stayed scoreless.

Dallas is now a perfect 3-for-3 on challenges this season; offside challenges have been overturned on nine of ten attempts league-wide this season.

 

Landeskog’s Goal Overturned for a Kicking Motion

Less than eight minutes later, Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog put the puck in the Dallas net again. Again, it came back.

The goal was initially ruled good on the ice, but the Situation Room initiated a video review of the play. The league determined that Landeskog kicked the puck into the Dallas net, deeming it a distinct kicking motion under Rule 37.4, which covers a player who has “deliberately propelled the puck with a kick of his foot or skate.”

The call on the ice was overturned and the goal was disallowed.

“If you watch it in real speed, there’s no chance I can react to that and kick that puck,” Landeskog said. “When you watch a slow-mo, it looks like a kick motion, maybe. But if you’re watching real time, there’s just, like, I have it lifted already, and I go to plant it, to skate.”

In our opinion, there was certainly a ‘motion’, but that motion didn’t propel the puck into the net – it deflected off Landeskog’s knee, which would make for a perfectly legal goal:

A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking player’s skate who does not use a distinct kicking motion is a legitimate goal. A puck that is directed into the net by an attacking player’s skate shall be a legitimate goal as long as no distinct kicking motion is evident.

Also:

If an attacking player has the puck deflect into the net, off his skate or body, in any manner, the goal shall be allowed.

It’s the first goal this season disallowed for a distinct kicking motion.

 

Brindley’s Double Doink

Colorado’s luck didn’t improve. After Arttu Hyry’s shorthanded breakaway gave Dallas a 2-1 lead early in the third period, Brindley beat DeSmith – but not the iron. His shot at 2:47 of the third hit both posts and stayed out. Brindley had already begun celebrating with teammates before realizing the puck never crossed the line.

The officials never signaled a goal on the play. A quick league review confirmed that the puck never went in.


 

 

Review Repercussions

Colorado joined Montreal as the second team this season to have two goals disallowed in one game. The Habs lost two goals to reviews – along with one that never crossed the line – in the same game against Detroit on October 10.

 

The Avalanche still fought back to force overtime before falling 3-2 in a shootout at Ball Arena.  Officials for the game were referees Chris Rooney (#5) and Brandon Schrader (#34), with linespersons Kyle Flemington (#55) and Scott Cherrey (#50).

 

 

Check out the updated NHL Coach’s Challenge Tracker for 2026-27 season, udpated through last night’s games:

NHL Coach’s Challenge Tracker – 2026-27