Wild’s Odd OT Winner Against Predators Sparks Unusal Debate

The Minnesota Wild’s overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night may go down as one of the most controversial finishes of the young NHL season. The Wild’s game-winning goal was allowed to stand even though the net had clearly been dislodged before the puck crossed the line — a decision that not everyone in the game, nor online, agrees with.

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The play unfolded when Nashville goaltender Justus Annunen intentionally pushed the net off its moorings as Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson closed in with an opportunity to score. As the net slid around the ice, officials allowed the sequence to continue, and the puck was eventually fired across where the goal would normally stand. After review, the goal was upheld based on Rule 63.7, which allows a referee to award a goal if the defending player dislodges the net during an imminent scoring opportunity and the puck would have crossed the goal line between the posts’ normal position.’

Most people don’t seem to be arguing that Saros wasn’t at fault for pushing the net off. What many are arguing is when the play should have died and when the scoring chance was no longer a scoring opportunity.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun wrote, “I don’t get how this could have possibly counted. Johansson missed the open net to begin with. Logic needs to overrule there.” The Athletic’s Michael Russo countered, noting, “He knocked the net off before an imminent scoring opportunity. That’s the rule.”

“The explanation was that, in [the referee’s] opinion, it was a goal. I disagree with his opinion, but that’s the way it is,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said.

Predators’ star Steven Stamkos explained how he saw it: “Obviously, a weird play. I can see the confusion, but the confusing part for us was why it was so emphatically called [a goal]. I get it. Listen, the net came off. If the puck goes in right away, no problem if the net is off. But he missed the net, and the puck actually bounced back to him because the net was sideways,” he said.

Social media, meanwhile, erupted with polarized takes. Some argued the decision was “100% correct,” citing the goalie’s deliberate action, while others called it “bush league stuff we wouldn’t even allow while playing street hockey.”

How do you see the play? Should this have been a goal as the officials called it? Or, was the scoring chance over and the play should have been whistled down? The NHL released a statement after the game, saying: “Video review supported the Referees’ call on the ice that the actions of Nashville’s Justus Annunen caused the net to be displaced prior to the puck crossing the goal line. Therefore, the Referees awarded Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson with a goal.

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