Around The NHL Discussion 2021-22 Part IV Into the Playoffs Edition

[BlueDream]

That call will get a lot of scrutiny but the Flames were just flat out not good enough. Can’t blame the refs for being down 3-1 in the series before that call.

The Flames are a lot like Hitchcock’s teams. They look good until the games start to mean more and other teams up their intensity. Then they look very pedestrian.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Not really an Oilers fan any longer and am still a Flames fan, but it was super fun to watch fans' reactions after the McDavid OT goal.

I was counting how many individuals dropped their head down, but lost count.

I love to watch fan reactions after goals.

 

[stl76]

Tough break for Calgary, I was rooting for them to make a series out of it.

 

[shpongle falls]

Said this on the main boards but boy this a tough call, I mean ya he kind of gently taps the puck in with his skate so I can see why they would call it off, but at the same time it looked like the puck was going in the net regardless if he touches it with his skate or not so it's inconsequential, for that reason it seems kinda unfair to me to call off that goal.

 

[mk80]

I don't see a "distinct kicking motion" on that Flames goal. I have seen a lot of those types of redirected goals upheld.

Tough result for the Flames.

 

[TheDizee]

calgary got hosed

 

[mk80]

What is Gaudreau doing here on this shift though? He bails of trying to defend Draisaitl after just floating around the zone, I'm glad our cap situation will keep us far out of the upcoming sweepstakes for him.

 

[TheDizee]

What is Gaudreau doing here on this shift though? He bails of trying to defend Draisaitl after just floating around the zone, I'm glad our cap situation will keep us far out of the upcoming sweepstakes for him.

chokers gonna choke

 

[simon IC]

I think Gaudreau has played his last game as a Flame. And before anyone says it, I don't want him!

 

[Renard]

I had completely forgotten about Jack Johnson, and there he is with Colorado. The last place I remember him was with Columbus.

I looked him up and saw the sad story of his financial disaster and his parents' involvement. Wow, what a mess.

 

[The Note]

McDavid will have a decent chance of putting up 40 points in these playoffs, depending on how long the WCF drags out. He has 26 points in 12 games which is just absurd. He (along with Drai tbf) is dragging that deeply flawed Oilers team kicking and screaming to within 4 games of a SCF.

 

[AVictoryDive]

If you use your skate to push the puck into the net it’s going to get called back. I thought that was a pretty obvious call to be quite honest.

Yeah he was already stopping then had a subtle move of his skate towards the puck that made it a kick. It’s frustrating because the rule can be wishy washy, but Calgary definitely choked and have themselves to blame.

 

[TheOrganist]

Was rooting for McDavid to move on but there should be a rule that allows for the refs/Toronto to make a determination that if the puck was clearly going on in regardless of a distinct kicking motion than it should count. Shitty way for a season to end.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

There is no f***ing way they waived off that CGY goal. No f***ing way. Holy f*** the refs are garbage even when they have slow mo to see it. f***ing hell. Im pissed.

I thought he kicked it, but was surprised they called it.

 

[Allens Five Hole]

I bet that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the Flames players/fans. But they did have plenty of time after the call to get it back and after they overturned the goal, the Flames players seemingly just lost all composure. I did not watch the OT period because it was too late but the end of the third, they did not create many chances, if any, after that goal was waived off.

Congrats to the Oilers for making this run. I definitely was not expecting them to get this far even in that weak side of the bracket.

 

[PocketNines]

Calgary looked in the second half of the season like they were real but I forgot my own Iron Rule of Tkachuk: If a Tkachuk is on your team, you are the Washington Generals.

 

[ValHaller]

Picturing a timeline in which the Oilers make the finals in a series that goes 6 games or fewer, which would make the Kings look like a slept-on team and reinforcing the hypothesis that this league is literally rock, paper, scissors in terms of team matchups.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Calgary looked in the second half of the season like they were real but I forgot my own Iron Rule of Tkachuk: If a Tkachuk is on your team, you are the Washington Generals.

I was fooled too, but I didn't think they had the postseason experience to be a real contender. Still, Dallas, LA and Edmonton is not a murderer's row to get to the WCF.

I'm happy for McDavid. Guy has been watching the prime of his career burned to ash with nothing to show for it. At least a conference finals appearance looks like he was within sniffing distance of the Finals.

Calgary has a gripe on that disallowed goal, although I think its a defensible call. But one bad call didn't cause them to lose 4-1, even when the opposing goalie is Smith. Even with that call, its a tied game and they had just as much opportunity to put it away as Edmonton did. The way they struggled with Dallas, I thought Edmonton would win this series. I'd be surprised if they can challenge Colorado or St Louis in the next round. I'm not sure there is a team left that can reasonably challenge Tampa, although I'd have loved to have seen a Binnington vs Vasilevsky duel with both on their game.

 

[fishsandwichpatrol]

I had completely forgotten about Jack Johnson, and there he is with Colorado. The last place I remember him was with Columbus.

I looked him up and saw the sad story of his financial disaster and his parents' involvement. Wow, what a mess.

That story makes me so angry. Imagine your parents breaking your trust like that. Just awful.

 

[joe galiba]

the league (Toronto) got what they wanted with the call on Calgary
player trying to stop with a defender on his back and the other foot tangled up, an at most iffy sort of kick, that isn‘t CLEARLY certain, on a puck that is already going in, and called a good goal on the ice
overturned for the league to give every chance for one specific result-
McDavid on to the conference finals

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

the league (Toronto) got what they wanted with the call on Calgary
player trying to stop with a defender on his back and the other foot tangled up, an at most iffy sort of kick, that isn‘t CLEARLY certain, on a puck that is already going in, and called a good goal on the ice
overturned for the league to give every chance for one specific result-
McDavid on to the conference finals

There is nothing about the application of the rule that changes if the puck "was going in" without the kick. That's irrelevant. It just makes it dumber to have kicked it.

There's no reason his left foot would make contact with the puck there if he was just trying to stop. He was trying to make contact. I've seen plays like this allowed as goals before, but to me that's a kicking motion. This rule has been messy for a while now, and I was surprised to see the ruling, but I think it was consistent with the rules as written.

Most of the challenges this post-season have erred on the side of allowing goals, when there has been any discretionary room for the officials. That's what I expected here. I wonder if they ruled differently based on the score of the game (they shouldn't). If it has been a goal that tied things up, I wonder if they'd also have disallowed it.

 

[Brian39]

the league (Toronto) got what they wanted with the call on Calgary
player trying to stop with a defender on his back and the other foot tangled up, an at most iffy sort of kick, that isn‘t CLEARLY certain, on a puck that is already going in, and called a good goal on the ice
overturned for the league to give every chance for one specific result-
McDavid on to the conference finals

I think it is insane to think that the league would prefer to assure McDavid in the Conference Final after 5 games instead of the risk that he gets eliminated because the Flames come back to force a game 7 in the first playoff Battle of Alberta in over 30 years.

This series was ludicrously entertaining and was printing money in Canada. I don't like the call, but I don't think the NHL was trying to end the series in 5 just to assure that McDavid got to the Conference Final. That's a poor business decision. The storylines/hype/money of Calgary coming all the way back against their biggest rivals is an incredible "worst case scenario" even if you assume that the league wants McDavid to get there. The league absolutely wanted Hockey Night in Canada to be an elimination battle of Alberta game with the Rangers/Canes being a nice mid-day or late-afternoon appetizer.

 

[BlueOil]

the league (Toronto) got what they wanted with the call on Calgary
player trying to stop with a defender on his back and the other foot tangled up, an at most iffy sort of kick, that isn‘t CLEARLY certain, on a puck that is already going in, and called a good goal on the ice
overturned for the league to give every chance for one specific result-
McDavid on to the conference finals

oh please, this has nothing to do with mcdavid. the league clearly wants mike smith to get his name on the cup

 

[joe galiba]

There is nothing about the application of the rule that changes if the puck "was going in" without the kick. That's irrelevant. It just makes it dumber to have kicked it.

There's no reason his left foot would make contact with the puck there if he was just trying to stop. He was trying to make contact. I've seen plays like this allowed as goals before, but to me that's a kicking motion. This rule has been messy for a while now, and I was surprised to see the ruling, but I think it was consistent with the rules as written.

Most of the challenges this post-season have erred on the side of allowing goals, when there has been any discretionary room for the officials. That's what I expected here. I wonder if they ruled differently based on the score of the game (they shouldn't). If it has been a goal that tied things up, I wonder if they'd also have disallowed it.

that fact that it was going into the net anyway and that it was ruled a good goal on the ice and the player was in a fairly awkward position, the league could have applied some common sense and allowed it since it wasn’t 100% clear anyway
I will go further and say if it happened at the other end of the ice it would have been ruled a good goal

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

that fact that it was going into the net anyway and that it was ruled a good goal on the ice and the player was in a fairly awkward position, the league could have applied some common sense and allowed it since it wasn’t 100% clear anyway
I will go further and say if it happened at the other end of the ice it would have been ruled a good goal

I don't think there would have been much (not as much) criticism if they'd allowed the goal, but it would have added just that much more into the murkiness of what a "distinct kicking motion" is.