Goalie interference creates controversy again in Predators-Panthers ending
Goalie interference has once again created a controversy in the NHL — this time in a game filled with stakes.
Filip Forsberg’s apparent tying goal with 0.6 seconds left was disallowed due to goalie interference, giving the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Viktor Arvidsson was posted in front of Florida goalie Roberto Luongo on the play, and his stick made contact with Luongo as he tried to shove in a rebound. The puck slid under Luongo in the crease, and Forsberg swooped in for an easy score. It was called a goal on the ice, but replay officials ruled that Arvidsson had interfered with Luongo.
The Panthers escaped with the two points, and now sit four points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the final wild-card spot in the East.
A victory in overtime would have secured the Central Division, as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the West, for the Predators.
Twitter was not pleased with the controversial reversal, and fans — including a number of famous ones — made their displeasure known.
The NHL recently adjusted the review process for goaltender interference, placing the final call on the matter in the hands of the NHL Situation Room in Toronto.
Forsberg, the Nashville star whose goal was overturned, had a lot to say about the play postgame.
“It’s a goal,” Forsberg told USA TODAY Network’s Adam Vingan. “It’s got to be a goal. … I don’t know what’s going on. It’s so inconsistent that we don’t even know when it’s a goal or not, but this one was clearly a goal. The puck was never covered. The goalie had no clue where it (was), and it ends up on my tape and it’s in. And they somehow don’t think so. I disagree 100%.”
Per Vingan: “The NHL said that ‘the deliberate actions of Arvidsson’s stick caused Luongo to spin and cause the covered puck to come loose prior to the goal.’ “
“Either the refs don’t know or Toronto doesn’t know,” Forsberg went on to tell the Tennessean. “They’re definitely not on the same page because there’s so many different situations and similar situations, too, that get called both ways. I don’t know who made the call here, but they definitely didn’t get it right.”
Source:-https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2018/04/03/predators-panthers-goalie-interference-reversal/484503002/
