Bruins react to controversial goalie interference review in Game 4 loss originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON – The Florida Panthers 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference second-round series was aided by a controversial decision that left the home team and its fans stunned.
The Panthers tied it 2-2 at 3:41 of the third period when Sam Bennett pounced on a loose puck in the box for a power-play goal. After looking at the replay, it was pretty obvious that Bennett crossed Bruins center Charlie Coyle in the back, causing him to collide with goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery challenged the play for goalie interference, and after a lengthy review, the on-ice goal decision was upheld.
“The fact is, Coyle was pushed on me and I couldn’t play my position,” Swayman said after the game. “I just want to stick to the facts, and the fact is that my own player was pushed on me by theirs and I couldn’t play my position.”
Swayman reiterated three or four times that he could not play his position. The NHL, in its explanation of the review decision, concluded that Bennett’s actions did not prevent Swayman from playing his position.
Here they are official explanation league:
Explanation: Video review supported the on-ice referees’ decision that Florida’s push Sam Bennett about Charlie Coyle and subsequent contact with Jeremy Swayman didn’t stop Swayman from playing his position in the box before Bennett’s goal.
You be the judge: does it look like Swayman is capable of playing his role in this photo?
Bennett not only pushed Coyle past his own goalkeeper but also crossed him, which is already a penalty. He escaped both, as well as escaping without a fine or suspension for his questionable hit on Bruins captain Brad Marchand in Game 3.
“It’s a big change,” Coyle said of the review decision. “They score, they draw and they get a powerful game (due to the lost challenge). These are the fluctuations of the game. We saw something different. They saw something different. There are no other words for it. Whether we agree or not, we have to play with that.”
The refereeing was very poor in Game 4, and the result could easily have been different if Bennett’s goal had been disallowed.
But the Bruins also didn’t generate enough offense. They have scored two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, including Sunday night’s loss. They had two shots on net in the third period of Game 4. The Bruins’ lack of offense is the main reason they face a 3-1 series deficit.
