Before we begin, let us note that the Devils beat the Flyers in a shootout last night, so luckily a controversial goal didn’t affect the outcome of the game. That being said, the NHL definitely got one wrong. With Philadelphia and New Jersey tied 3-3 and headed for a shootout on Thursday night, Daniel Briere shot second for the Flyers and scored. However, it appeared as though Briere came to a complete stop before putting the puck in the net, which is very much illegal in the shootout format for obvious reasons. If a player could stop and spray snow at the goalie as much as he pleased it would be significantly easier to score. Here is a video clip of the play in question:
The officials reviewed the play and somehow the goal stood as called. If that wasn’t a complete stop by Briere, I don’t know what would be considered one. Fortunately the Devils went on to win the shootout, otherwise the officials who made the call would be under a lot more heat from the Devils today (get it?).
UPDATE: As Spike Eskin informed us, the player is allowed to stop, but the puck is not allowed to. Apparently the refs determined that the puck never stopped moving.
