Watch: Controversial Sam Bennett Goal Talk of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against Boston Bruins

| May 13, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Being a hockey referee is difficult at any level.

The game moves quickly, and mistakes are made. However, at the highest level, particularly in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the controversial goal scored by Sam Bennett in Game 4 of Round 2 between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers was simply fixed.

If you missed it, Sam Bennett, who was already Boston’s public enemy number one after punching Brad Marchand in the face, scored a contentious goal that the situation room upheld.

As seen in the video, Sam Bennett shoves Bruins forward Charlie Coyle into Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman, separating the man and the puck. Bennett then sends the ball into an empty net to tie the game at 2-2.

The Bruins file a goalkeeper interference challenge. As they should, according to Rule 69.1.

However, the NHL Situation Room left it up to the officials to reverse the decision or leave it a good goal. Remember, the call on the ice indicated a goal. So there had to be compelling evidence to overturn it.

While the Situation Room accepted that a shove occurred, they did not believe there was sufficient evidence to overturn the ruling on the ice.

Via the NHL Situation Room:

Video review supported the Referees’ call on the ice that that the shove by Florida’s Sam Bennett on Charlie Coyle” href=”https://www.nhl.com/player/charlie-coyle-8475745″>Charlie Coyle and the subsequent contact with Jeremy Swayman” href=”https://www.nhl.com/player/jeremy-swayman-8480280″>Jeremy Swayman did not prevent Swayman from playing his position in the crease prior to Bennett’s goal.

While the Situation Room acknowledged a shove happened, they did not feel there was enough evidence to overturn the call on the ice.

Thus, the goal was upheld, and the Bruins were penalized for a delay in the game.

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As a result, the goal was upheld, and the Bruins were fined for the delay in play.

Again, based on the rule and what former official Tim Peel stated on the Full Press NHL Podcast, the goaltender must be able to play his position. You can evaluate whether Swayman could play his position, but a penalty was not called, resulting in a goal at a critical point in the game.

Again, there is some ambiguity regarding goaltender interference. However, both officials on the ice overlooked this action. Replay is in place to help officials make the proper decisions. The Bruins can no longer challenge for a penalty on the play, but Bennett made sure to establish separation to score by cross-checking Coyle’s back.

Peel expressed surprise that the goal was upheld rather than overturned during the game.

Unfortunately, we cannot go back to the days of no video reviews. In today’s world, that is impossible. With social media, slow-motion replays, and enhanced TV quality, there is no turning back. The genie is out of the bottle.

However, the NHL has a mechanism in place to ensure accurate calls. The system failed during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers. It may be time for all reviews to come from the booth, as the Bruins are likely to argue against being penalized.

Aleksander Barkov would subsequently score the game-winning goal in a tightly contested match. The tale isn’t about the teams. It was about the officials. That is not right in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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