32 Thoughts: Goaltender interference — two plays, two outcomes

• The ‘pivotal moment’ that turned Buffalo’s season around
• One reason why the playoff format isn’t going to change
• Why teams aren’t scared about burning a year of a player’s entry-level contract

Like many of you, I was confused by two similar video-review challenges from last weekend: Morgan Barron’s 2-1 goal during Saturday’s Winnipeg/Pittsburgh game, followed by Anders Lee’s disallowed score from Sunday’s Columbus/Islanders tilt. 

The playoffs may not officially be underway, but for any team close to the cutline, they’ve already begun. You feel the intensity and the passion. There’s so much at stake. Part of my job is explaining these decisions. The people in the Situation Room watch more hockey than I do, so if there’s nuance I’m missing, I’d like to know about it. 

Thursday evening, minutes before a heavy 13-game schedule, I got on a zoom call with six of them. We walked through the two plays, and they explained to me why one was a goal and one wasn’t. It should also be mentioned that one former official is in the room with Hockey Operations. Last weekend, it was Dan O’Halloran, who refereed in the NHL from 1995-2020.

My goal here is to explain. What did they see? Why did they rule this way? And, inform everyone so we hopefully have a better understanding of what we are looking for. 

The Penguins are up 2-0 when Barron scores the disputed goal. Keys: the puck is in front of Barron, and he doesn’t change his path in an obvious attempt to wipe out the goalie. His only interest is getting in position to score, and the contact occurs immediately after he makes contact with the puck.

Watch from the camera above and behind Arturs Silovs. Erik Karlsson makes an incredible attempt to disrupt this play, coming a long way to bother Brad Lambert before spinning to get his stick on Barron’s effort. (I didn’t appreciate how hard Karlsson competed here until I saw this angle.) The Situation Room feels Karlsson’s own momentum plays the biggest part in the ensuing contact, since he’s spinning into Barron’s path. 

When referee Kelly Sutherland says it is a goal “due to the initial contact by the Pittsburgh defenceman,” he’s referring to Karlsson and Barron, not Karlsson and Silovs. That added to the confusion. 

The Penguins hilariously distributed the rule to media in attendance at that game, but Hockey Operations, which admits not all rulings have unanimous internal agreement, said there wasn’t much dispute on this one. (To be honest, I was surprised at how many people said this to me, too. When I saw it live, I thought for sure no goal.) They did not feel Barron pushed, shoved or fouled Karlsson. They felt this was a battle Barron won.

I was playing cards Sunday night when my phone blew up about this one. I was shocked the Blue Jackets challenged, because no way I would have after Barron’s goal. But their video coaches knew something, because the goal was overturned.  

Right away, I’m shown one major difference between the two plays: puck location. On Barron’s goal, the puck is between him and the net, either on the ice or in the air. When Lee collides with Jet Greaves, it is behind him — not in the crease. As the Islanders captain goes to the net, Mathieu Olivier deflects it away from his stick, and it doesn’t move towards the goal until it hits Olivier’s skate. That’s Lee’s biggest problem. He takes out Greaves with no puck in the crease, and the carnage prevents the goalie from recovering before it goes in off Olivier. 

The big question here is obvious: doesn’t Olivier push Lee? As we were discussing this play, that’s what I had the toughest time reconciling. I freely admit the ex-players in Hockey Operations have much more on-ice experience than I do, so they see things I don’t. 

Lee is no softie, but the Columbus winger is one of the NHL’s toughest, most physical players. On the side-angle view, they point out how Lee smartly manoeuvres around Olivier before the latter recovers to knock the puck away, and doesn’t fall on Lee until after everyone’s in the crease. The majority of the Situation Room staff feels this was more about Lee’s own momentum. 

At the end of our conversation, I told them they should be putting out these videos themselves. Maybe I don’t agree with everything, but, at the very least, the walk-through opened my eyes to critical factors. 

Number one: where is the puck? Barron’s goal, it was in front of him. Lee’s was behind him, and he clearly beat the puck into the crease. That matters. And it was the first thing mentioned in both cases. This is something all of us should be watching on any disputed play.

Number two: who creates the contact? This is more judgemental, but it’s a factor. We might not always see it the same way, but we have to look for it.

Of course, while I was writing, the Penguins lost another challenge. But in both of these they lost, they won the game. (So did the Islanders.) We plan, God laughs.

32 THOUGHTS

1. Tuesday, led by intrepid Sportsnet Features producer Jeremy McElhanney, we drove to Buffalo. The Sabres are playoff-bound, so we taped a few pieces. The best thing about Buffalo right now is you feel the energy. Reporters covering practice were excited. It’s an awesome fan base, extremely deserving of late-April hockey. Josh Norris said that, during the first post-Olympic home game, he and Tage Thompson were next to each other on the bench. The crowd was so loud they couldn’t have a conversation. They started laughing, marvelling at the enthusiasm.

2. One of the most fascinating things about the Sabres’ season is that it went from zero-to-100 at F1 speeds. There was no build, no climb — just an immediate charge from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the top. It’s obvious: everyone believes the 4-3 overtime victory in Edmonton on Dec. 9 is Buffalo’s pivotal moment. A collision knocked out Colten Ellis in the first period, but in front of Alex Lyon, they played 40 great minutes and led 3-0. Then, Edmonton scored 10 seconds into the third and tied it with two seconds remaining in regulation. The Oilers are a nightmare in three-on-three overtime, and the Sabres stared at a fourth-straight loss. But Alex Tuch scored at 0:33 and a 10-game win streak was born.

“That could have been the game that broke our back,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “Lots of excuses that could’ve led to a loss, but we made it a big win.” 

3. Heading into Thursday’s games, Buffalo was tied atop the East with Carolina, also holding the top tiebreaker — 37 regulation wins. (Tampa Bay is second with 35.) Every team has its slogans — everyone remembers John Tortorella’s “Safe is Death” — and Ruff was nice enough to share four themes surrounding the Sabres in 2025-26:

“Everybody Ropes, Everybody Rides.”

Self-explanatory. I assumed Ruff, a good Alberta boy, authored this one, but he wouldn’t take credit. “The players probably didn’t know this and I didn’t tell them, but when I went to Dallas, somebody else brought this in.” (Another Western Canadian, he said.)

“Share the Morning Coffee.”

“Talk to your teammates. Get to know them. When you walk in the building, your teammates sit in there. Enjoy something with them.” 

“Grab a Guy.”

“Means a lot of things in hockey. There might be something going on on the ice. You’re going to have to grab a guy.” Nowhere did the Sabres better illustrate this than during their wild, fight-filled 8-7 win two weeks ago over the Lightning.

Or, “There might be a guy that’s struggling off the ice or with his play, that means just grab the guy, help him out. That can go a lot of different directions and a lot of these are stuff the players and our group came up with before the season.”

“(Bleeping) Give-r.”

“When you put the skates on, it’s 100 per cent plus.” Not too many nights Buffalo’s given anything less since that northern Alberta night last December. Chippewa Street in the playoffs is going to nuts. About time.

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4. Ruff played for the Rangers; coached the Stars and Devils. But Sabre blood flows through his veins. He’s been so close, particularly in 1999 and 2006 — the phenomenal series against Carolina where a puck-over-glass penalty overcame their injury-depleted blue line. He loves this group. I asked him if he still thinks about erasing all of that.

“Well, it’s a shot to get done what I haven’t been able to get done,” he answered. “In my eyes, I’m not going to quit trying.” Does that mean you’re back next year? (His contract expires June 30.) “The thing we’ve kind of wrapped our arms around as a coaching staff has been, ‘Let’s just win one more game.’ We keep saying, ‘Just one more.’ That’s it. And we get to tomorrow, and we’ll say, ‘Just one more.’” Then, he smiled. “When we get to that ‘Just one more,’ we’ll see if it’s just one.”

5. Nashville is shrinking its list of GM contenders. I don’t believe any external candidate has interviewed in-person. Not sure of the timeline, but that’s going to change in the near future. In addition to the already reported names, others who have been spoken to include St. Louis Vice-President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli and an intriguing fresh name, Edmonton assistant GM Bill Scott. It’s a wide net and we’re still figuring out who else is involved.   

6. The Predators’ late-season push is exciting, but hasn’t changed their long-term outlook. As someone joked with me this week, “birth certificates are still the berth certificates.” They will need to continue developing and injecting youth. 

7. One former Nashvillian will be closely watched as the games heat up. That’s Michael McCarron. The Predators and player had a sizeable gap during negotiations. A few team executives said that’s because he’ll have a strong market. Nothing ridiculous, manageable for most, but there’s a scarcity and he’s a physical, competitive sizeable centre. 

8. I wouldn’t rush to assume anything about Auston Matthews’ intentions. There is much to play out before we get a true understanding of how he feels. While there are changes coming in Toronto, we don’t yet know what they will be.

9. Connor Ingram after Edmonton’s thrilling 4-3 Thursday night victory over Vegas: “We’ve found a way to play that’s given us success. Now it’s not being stubborn and sticking with it. Playing simple. We’re a good enough hockey club we’re going to get our chances. As long as we don’t give them that many, we’re going to be just fine.”

The Oilers’ penalty kill, ranked 26th, had three huge kills, including one in overtime. During Tuesday’s win over Utah, the Oilers had some way-above-average defensive metrics for them (per Sportlogiq), including blocking almost double the amount of even-strength shots as usual and a much stingier defence of their blueline. Baby steps, but big performances. 

10. Alexander Ovechkin took his first defensive-zone five-on-five faceoff of the season Thursday in Utah — a night he scored a hat trick in a 7-4 win. Part of me thinks it would have been tremendous to go 82 games without one. I’ve also wondered if he does play next year, does he also get something unheard-of for the NHL: a lengthy multi-city sendoff.

11. For much of this season, the Jets felt this year was a blip — not a true indication of who they are, especially due to Connor Hellebuyck’s early-season injury. But there has to be disappointment post-Olympics they got within striking distance of a playoff position and haven’t made a better push.

12. In the debate about playoff format, someone made a thoughtful point: that Commissioner Gary Bettman wants things this way because it protects time zones. There’s reason to believe this. Bettman has said he will never go away from every team having All-Star Game representation because you give a market incentive not to watch. Not everyone makes the playoffs, but this way you get the best shot at multiple teams from every region. Every division has its down cycle. Before the Pillow Pacific, remember the SouthLeast? I do wish there was a way to give Central teams (and fans) better start times. 

13. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said this week the NBA will have a special Board of Governors meeting this May to enact tougher anti-tanking rules. Leagues watch each other, so I’m curious to see what Silver comes up with.

The NHL adjusted its draft a few years ago, with teams blocked from rising more than 10 spots and falling more than two — but that was because the worst teams felt they were consistently getting clobbered in the lottery (Detroit). Silver made it very clear this is a problem that needs to be solved at the ownership level. The first team out of the playoffs in the East is nine-and-a-half back. In the West it is 10.5. That’s a drama-free few weeks, everybody’s nightmare. Fortunately, hockey doesn’t have the same issue this season, thanks to some awesome races. But the NHL will watch what the NBA does, just in case. 

14. A few Canucks said Filip Hronek is quietly trying to exert more influence in a positive way. As the Canucks chart a new path, Hronek’s discussed everything from practice habits to how workouts are done to punctuality to attire in an attempt to sharpen things. Lots of talk he’ll be the new captain. Whether or not that’s true, he’s definitely acting as one. 

15. Vegas is notoriously private about injuries but there is expectation Carter Hart will return before the end of the regular season. 

16. It’s now or never for the Kings. One point out, seven in a row at home, two of them against Nashville. Have to overcome a terrible tiebreaker, though. 

17. We’ll see how things progress with James Hagens, but I don’t believe returning to Boston College is a realistic outcome. What’s interesting is that several advisors and executives wanted him to try if he doesn’t sign this spring with the Bruins, just to see how the NCAA handles it. While there is educated guesswork Hagens wouldn’t be eligible now that he’s appeared in the AHL, the fact a couple of players have returned to college after playing professional hockey has others wondering if he could be stopped. In this case, however, the question appears moot.

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18. Someone asked me if the Bruins don’t want to burn the first year of his contract so a new one is needed in three years instead of two. Only Boston can answer that, but one thing I’ve learned is some clubs aren’t scared of this because it can actually hurt a player’s comparables due to lower counting stats. I mean, if Hagens does what he can do, it’s not going to matter. But some agents and teams will tell you burning a year with no huge numbers can help a club’s negotiation/arbitration case.

19. As part of the being-worked-on NHL/CHL/AHL eligibility rules, there will be a date prior to the CHL trade deadline (second week of January) for 19-year-olds to rejoin their junior clubs rather than stay. Past that date, they can’t go back.

20. Originally, the plan was for one 19-year-old per NHL team to be loaned, but that’s been amended to any first-round selection. Teams with multiple picks argued they shouldn’t have to create problems with players, families and/or agents by choosing between eligible players. As I’ve written, I don’t think this means we will see a flood of players headed there. NHLPA must still approve. 

21. Loved Travis Green saying “get ready to win” when asked what he was going to do against Detroit with a depleted defence. It’s all about attitude, although I admit it didn’t hurt that Linus Ullmark played one of his best games of the season. Also excellent that Carter Yakemchuk scored two points in an emergency NHL debut. He’s only 20, long way to go, but the pressure builds for impact when you’re a first-rounder. For both player and for a scouting staff under new management. 

22. The only north-of-the-49th team not to host an outdoor game is Montreal. The issue is not “want,” but “where?” The Canadiens are trying to solve that. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reported Wednesday the plan is to build a temporary stadium where summer music festivals are held at Parc Jean-Drapeau, near the Canadian Grand Prix site. I’ve heard 42,000 seats (Renaud said 40-45K) with a target of the 2028-29 season. A women’s game would be part of the festivities. Would be awesome, and we need an outdoor game in that city.

23. Don’t overcomplicate things: make Toronto the opponent.

24. Speaking of Montreal, a few executives who saw Alexander Zharovsky recently said the Canadiens got away with grand larceny picking him 34th in last year’s draft. Apparently, that selection in that spot is a discussion point in scouting circles. 

25. A couple post-Olympic thoughts still in my notebook. After the Bronze Medal Game, I asked several Finns and Slovaks who they thought would win gold. Mikael Granlund answered, “I have my thoughts, but I’m not going to say them yet.” I haven’t forgotten Mikael, and some day I’m going to get it out of you. 

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26. American-born Shane Pinto said the more Canada couldn’t score, the more he began to believe “we were actually going to win.” I heard this from a few different people.

27. Vincent Trocheck said when he checked his phone after the win, there was a text from one of his best friends with the on-ice video of Trocheck saying, “I am going to get (bleeped) up tonight.” He was laughing about that this week, saying the other text that stood out was a congratulatory message from Patrick Kane. They became pretty close during the future Hall-of-Famer’s Ranger tenure.

28. Don Granato will be coaching Team USA at the World Championships. His Buffalo contract is expiring. Enjoyed working with him at Sportsnet and no doubt this will be a good opportunity to remind everyone of his availability. 

29. Kevin Maxwell, AHL Springfield’s GM, may be leaving the Blues as they enter the Alex Steen era. Prior to that, he worked for the Rangers for 15 years. Possible reunion?

30. To make the whole goalie interference situation even more muddled, when it briefly came up at the GM meetings, one manager complained about the netminders embellishing, too.

31. Not my expertise, but I’ve been reading this week about PWHL salary disclosure in The Hockey News. It’s a controversial topic, because this information is supposed to be private and not all players and/or reporters are thrilled about it. (No doubt the league isn’t happy.) I’d just say this: full salary disclosure was great for the NHL players. A friend is taking his kids to the Takeover Tour game this weekend in Detroit (New York Sirens vs Montreal Victoire) and they are pumped. 

32. Just wanted to send the best to Victor Hedman, one of my favourites. Respect his privacy, but hope whatever he needs to take care of solves itself quickly and positively. 

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