Knoblauch, Oilers Successfully Challenge for Offsides, Wiping Out Apparent Panthers Goal
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers made all the right moves on their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The coach who took over in November made a crucial challenge against the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the final. The offside call nullified a goal by Aleksander Barkov just 10 seconds after Adam Henrique scored to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead, marking a turning point in the game they won 5-1.
“The offside call, it’s a nice break to go our way, for sure,” forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “At the end of the day, he’s got to make the call, so it’s probably a little stressful to make that call at that time of the game.”
Officials, in consultation with the NHL’s situation room in Toronto, found that Sam Reinhart was in the zone maybe an inch before Barkov carried it in. The sellout crowd of over 18,000 roared when Chris Rooney announced that the play was offside and waved off the goal.
“I actually didn’t think it was that close,” Knoblauch said. “In my mind, it was definitely offside, but I guess you never know. It was something I wanted to challenge almost immediately when I saw it.”
Throughout the playoffs, Knoblauch has pushed the right buttons, whether it be a goaltending change in the second round or tweaking his lineup. Had the challenge been unsuccessful, by league rules, Edmonton would have received a two-minute minor penalty, putting Florida on the power play with a chance to tie the game.
“It was very tight,” center Leon Draisaitl said. “I personally thought it was the right call, but you never know. Knobber has the right touch. He knows what he’s doing, and he seems to make the right decisions a lot more often than not. That was a big one.”
Knoblauch credited video coach Noah Segall and video and coaching analytics coordinator Mike Fanelli for their role in the decision.
“The guys in the back room, I’ve sat back there and watched them do their job,” defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “They’re so to the point and analyzing everything. Obviously, they were very confident and they made the right call. It was a huge point for us.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice did little to hide his disbelief when the goal was taken down, screaming at officials from his spot behind the Florida bench. Afterward, he said he was upset initially because he did not see the angle that the league and officials used to overturn the goal.
“The linesperson informed me it was the last clip that they got where they made the decision that it shows it’s offside,” Maurice said. “I don’t know what the Oilers get. I don’t know what the league gets. I just know that when I would have had to have challenged that based on what I saw, I would not have challenged. I’m not saying it’s not offside. We’ll get still frames, we’ll bring in the CIA and we’ll figure it out, but in the 30 seconds that I would have made that call, I would not have challenged it.”
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