Friday, 27 May 2022. 00:54
With the Edmonton Oilers winning 5-4 in overtime to send the Calgary Flames on vacationthe topic of discussion in the camp of the troupe at Darryl Sutter was the goal disallowed to Blake Coleman late in the third period of the fifth game.
The score was 4-4 with less than six minutes left on the clock when Mikael Backlund netted Mike Smith. The puck ended up behind the Oilers goaltender and as he fell, Coleman pushed the puck with his skate behind the red line.
The Flames’ celebrations were quickly brought to a halt when officials viewed the replays to assess if there was a motion to intentionally push the puck down the net. After a few minutes the verdict was in and the net that gave the Flames the lead was disallowed.
Calgary failed to revive the festivities and saw its playoffs come to an end with Connor McDavid’s goal in overtime.
“I don’t feel like I kicked the puck. There’s a misunderstanding, that’s for sure, Coleman admitted following the game.
I don’t feel like I lifted my skate, I just changed the angle to keep myself from falling. Maybe I should go watch the footage once more, to see if my point of view changes followingwards. It’s a shame, but nothing can be changed. »
“It’s disappointing because we had a good season and a good club. We really thought we might go a long way in the playoffs. Their best players made big plays at important times, and they had depth. The margin for error is so slim at this time of year. You have to be able to score the big goals at the right time, and they did it better than us, ”added the man who won the Stanley Cup twice with Tampa, in 2020 and 2021.
Head coach Darryl Sutter did not want to dwell on the issue, he who had not yet taken the time to review the sequence, once the meeting was over.
“I didn’t see the footage except when I was on the bench. [L’arbitre] Wes (McCauley) told me the puck kicked distinctly. So far, I’d say you’ve had better angles than me to judge. (…) Do I agree? It depends on your definition of ‘kick the puck’. For me, someone who drags his skate on the ice without lifting it is not one. But whatever,” he said, visibly annoyed.
“From the replay that I saw, it really looks like Blake is trying to slow down, and the puck doesn’t go in with a forward motion,” said center Mikael Backlund, who had a excellent Game 5, with one goal and one assist.
