EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (SportsTicker) — How could they miss it? That's what the New Jersey Devils were asking Thursday night after the NHL's on-ice and video replay officials missed a goal in Game Three of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Devils' protests were muted because the gaffe did not affect the outcome of their 1-0 victory that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
"It's tough to miss a call like that in the Stanley Cup conference finals," said left wing Jay Pandolfo, whose goal 12:10 into the opening period would have given New Jersey a 2-0 lead.
"Thank God we won, that's the most important thing. Now we can forget about it."
NHL executives can't forget, not after admitting that referees Kerry Fraser and Brad Watson and video replay officials missed the goal.
"Clearly, despite all best efforts of all involved, a goal was scored," NHL executive vice president and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "The NHL regrets the error."
Moments after Sergei Brylin scored to put the Devils in front, Pandolfo got a pass from Jamie Langenbrunner at the top of the crease and jammed the puck at goaltender Patrick Lalime.
"Right when I shot it, I thought it went through his legs," Pandolfo explained. "I never saw it really go in. It came out so quick."
Linemate John Madden was poised for a rebound in front of Lalime but did not protest when Fraser signaled no goal.
"I saw it go underneath him when I was in front of the net. But Kerry was right there and he waved it off, so I assumed it hit the post and came right back out," Madden said. "It was interesting why no one called down or anything."
No one called down to the on-ice officials, Campbell explained later, because they did not see the one replay — from the camera mounted inside the net — that showed the puck clearly went in until after play resumed. Under NHL rules, that was too late to credit the goal to the Devils.
"The surprise, for me, is that we didn't sniff it out because we look for those things," Campbell said after the game at an impromptu news conference. "Tonight, it got by us."
This was one case, he lamented, in which the NHL's new hurry-up faceoff rule proved costly. The league instructs its referees to take a little extra time if they sense a play might be reviewed upstairs. But because no one on the Devils protested initially, the puck was dropped before the in-goal camera replay was examined.
"I'm sure if he expected it enough, Kerry would have done something," Campbell said. "He was in a good position and he didn't catch it. We didn't have one player jumping up and down."
By the time word reached the New Jersey bench, it was too late.
"Our video personnel called down and said, 'That's a goal,'" Devils coach Pat Burns said. "Play had begun when I got the news."
"I think they had ample time to look at it and make the correct call," center Joe Nieuwendyk added. "It would have been a travesty had they come back and tied it up."
Because the Senators did not rally, the league avoided a potentially embarrassing postseason controversy.
In Game Two of the 2000 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers scored a goal that replays showed went through the side of the net. NHL officials later admitted their mistake.
LeClair's goal was the tying tally in the Flyers' 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
"In this case, the ramifications didn't come back to affect the outcome of the game," Campbell said Thursday. "But we have to find a way not to let it happen."
Burns agreed.
"I imagine somebody will be held accountable for it, you've got to be," the Devils coach said. "If we criticize people, our referees and what-not, we'll usually be held accountable. So I imagine somebody is going to be held accountable for that one. It was a goal. I don't think you can argue that fact."
Campbell would not comment on Burns' remarks.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/cup/2003-05-16-devils-missed-goal_x.htm
The Devils' protests were muted because the gaffe did not affect the outcome of their 1-0 victory that gave them a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
"It's tough to miss a call like that in the Stanley Cup conference finals," said left wing Jay Pandolfo, whose goal 12:10 into the opening period would have given New Jersey a 2-0 lead.
"Thank God we won, that's the most important thing. Now we can forget about it."
NHL executives can't forget, not after admitting that referees Kerry Fraser and Brad Watson and video replay officials missed the goal.
"Clearly, despite all best efforts of all involved, a goal was scored," NHL executive vice president and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement. "The NHL regrets the error."
Moments after Sergei Brylin scored to put the Devils in front, Pandolfo got a pass from Jamie Langenbrunner at the top of the crease and jammed the puck at goaltender Patrick Lalime.
"Right when I shot it, I thought it went through his legs," Pandolfo explained. "I never saw it really go in. It came out so quick."
Linemate John Madden was poised for a rebound in front of Lalime but did not protest when Fraser signaled no goal.
"I saw it go underneath him when I was in front of the net. But Kerry was right there and he waved it off, so I assumed it hit the post and came right back out," Madden said. "It was interesting why no one called down or anything."
No one called down to the on-ice officials, Campbell explained later, because they did not see the one replay — from the camera mounted inside the net — that showed the puck clearly went in until after play resumed. Under NHL rules, that was too late to credit the goal to the Devils.
"The surprise, for me, is that we didn't sniff it out because we look for those things," Campbell said after the game at an impromptu news conference. "Tonight, it got by us."
This was one case, he lamented, in which the NHL's new hurry-up faceoff rule proved costly. The league instructs its referees to take a little extra time if they sense a play might be reviewed upstairs. But because no one on the Devils protested initially, the puck was dropped before the in-goal camera replay was examined.
"I'm sure if he expected it enough, Kerry would have done something," Campbell said. "He was in a good position and he didn't catch it. We didn't have one player jumping up and down."
By the time word reached the New Jersey bench, it was too late.
"Our video personnel called down and said, 'That's a goal,'" Devils coach Pat Burns said. "Play had begun when I got the news."
"I think they had ample time to look at it and make the correct call," center Joe Nieuwendyk added. "It would have been a travesty had they come back and tied it up."
Because the Senators did not rally, the league avoided a potentially embarrassing postseason controversy.
In Game Two of the 2000 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers scored a goal that replays showed went through the side of the net. NHL officials later admitted their mistake.
LeClair's goal was the tying tally in the Flyers' 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
"In this case, the ramifications didn't come back to affect the outcome of the game," Campbell said Thursday. "But we have to find a way not to let it happen."
Burns agreed.
"I imagine somebody will be held accountable for it, you've got to be," the Devils coach said. "If we criticize people, our referees and what-not, we'll usually be held accountable. So I imagine somebody is going to be held accountable for that one. It was a goal. I don't think you can argue that fact."
Campbell would not comment on Burns' remarks.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/cup/2003-05-16-devils-missed-goal_x.htm
