The Ottawa Senators got an assist from the officials on their first goal of Monday’s game.
Ridly Greig opened the scoring for the Senators when he buried the puck in the slot past Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen, but Greig only scored after a point shot deflected to him off Shane Pinto’s glove.
Pinto put his hand on his face to protect himself from Artem Zub’s friendly fire, and the puck was redirected directly to Greig, who wasted no time.
The Canucks challenged the play for a missed stoppage, but the goal was awarded after referees on the ice reviewed the video.
“The situation room upheld the referee’s on-ice decision that the puck was not considered a hand pass prior to Ridley Greig’s goal because it deflected off Shane Pinto’s glove,” the NHL said in a statement.
Rule 79.1, Hand Pass, states in part, “If, in the opinion of the on-ice official, the puck has left the player’s hand and the team has not gained any advantage, then this is not a violation for purposes of this rule.”
On December 4, the Lightning had a goal off the board due to a failed hand pass that hit Brandon Hagel’s hand after the puck went off the glass before Nikita Kucherov eventually scored. Then, on Dec. 9, the Buffalo Sabers scored when Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner’s shot rebounded, hit Alex Tuch’s hand and bounced off the stick of Tage Thompson, who put it into the net.
In both cases, the NHL ruled that the puck was “directed” by the offensive team, resulting in a hand pass.
But on December 6, the Florida Panthers scored a key goal despite the puck hitting Brad Marchand’s glove and deflecting along the boards before Carter Verhaeghe scored. In this case, the NHL said, “it was not considered a hand pass because the puck deflected off Marchand’s glove prior to Verhaeghe’s goal.”
