It has been a very strange playoff season for NHL officials. It seems like this year more than any other, the refs have made calls that have created controversy for one reason or another. Whether it’s goaltender interference, penalty calls made, or penalty calls missed, fans haven’t been very happy with the zebras so far.
Add a controversial missed hand pass to that list, as the San Jose Sharks were the benefactor of a non-reviewable call just moments before netting the overtime winner.
Sliding on his knees and dealing with a bouncing puck, Timo Meier appears to swat the puck out of mid-air with his glove. The puck then ends up on the stick of another Shark, at which point the play should have been called dead if it didn’t hit any Blues player or stick
As has become one of the main storylines of the playoffs so far, fans were very upset after the missed call. While the call would ideally be made on the ice, the referees had their hands tied when it wasn’t. A hand pass is not one of the reviewable options, and they had no choice but to leave the ice at that point.
A very anti-climactic way to end a playoff game, but the Sharks will take it. Fans of others teams weren’t so content.
(H/T NHL on NBC)
