A look at Florida’s controversial playoff goalie interference journey

Over the course of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there have been five goals challenged for goaltender interference. Remarkably, each one has been in a game that involved the Florida Panthers, and the first four gave way to rulings in the Panthers' favour in games they would go on to win.

The fifth review didn’t break their way, and that was a game they lost. These calls matter.

You can say it's a coincidence that it’s always Florida, or you may believe that the Panthers have players who like to crash the opposing crease and a goalie who pushes into contact with a little flair for the dramatic. I imagine it’s a sprinkling of random luck, but heavily due to the construction of Florida's roster that’s brought us here.

They play a certain very effective way that leads to these events.

So let’s evaluate the “Panthers cause crease chaos” trend through the five goaltender interference plays, and try to draw a conclusion of our own.

Matthew Tkachuk falls into a goalie totally by mistake

One thing you love about Florida’s greasy forwards -- if you’re a fan of that team -- is there’s a lot of “whoops did I do that?” moments around their opponent’s goalie. Whether they interfere or not, that would get into any goalie’s head.

The trick, like in the play above with Tkachuk, is that you use the contact from the defence as your pass to go into the goalie. Yes, Tkachuk is bumped in a way that directs him to Andrei Vasilevskiy. Were Vasilevskiy actually a cliff with spikes at the bottom, would Tkachuk have been forced over said cliff and on to the spikes? No, he’d have avoided that fall.

So, it’s a “whoops they pushed me,” the goalie gets bumped, and a good goal. It should stand (and it did), because Tampa's Brandon Hagel does put Tkachuk there, but it’s still intentional.

Anthony Duclair’s backheel gets a Tampa Bay goal called back

Florida catches a break here, as a simple puck battle leads to a bit of a skate into Sergei Bobrovsky in the crease, which was deemed enough to pull the goal off the board.

I’d like to see this one stand. Goalie Bob is in the play, poking for the puck, and it just squirts out to another Lightning player.

Anthony Cirelli’s spinning screen ruled interference

Because of the ruling on the ice, it’s really hard to undo this “no goal” call, but they should have. Cirelli is on white ice, trying to avoid Bobrovsky and providing a great screen. The Panthers goalie can’t see around him, and as a result the shot from distance goes in. Tampa, like Florida, has some players who excel in these areas of the ice. I think goalies should have to battle a little. I’d like for this one to stand.

Sam Bennett pushes Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swayman

This is really a coin toss, but I think they got it right. Swayman has fully extended his last desperation leg kick, and is not all that close to being able to make a save before Coyle gets to him. And getting gently pushed at the net-front shouldn’t be enough for a defending player to suddenly disqualify any potential goals by falling forward; Coyle just doesn’t put up any resistance. It’s the playoffs, and this to me is pushing for position.

Tough call, but I say keep it.

Danton Heinen gets into Bobrovsky in the blue paint

I really disliked this one. Danton Heinen went into Bobrovsky's crease and dislodged the goalie's right skate, which led to an in-crease battle where Oliver-Ekman Larsson knocked Bobrovsky’s stick loose, all while the Panthers' goalie tried to get set for a Charlie McAvoy shot that quite simply went through Bobrovsky. (OEL isn’t there in the first place if Heinen doesn’t skate directly into the crease.)

To me, the word “interference” matters, and Bobrovsky is clearly interfered with here. It was ruled a goal, the first review that went against the Panthers in the post-season, and it would be the game winner that kept Boston from being eliminated.

So what is the overall takeaway from all this? What can we learn about the Panthers and playoff hockey?

Being involved in these moments reflects well on a team aiming to have success in the playoffs. They are competitive and find themselves in battles at both ends of the rink around the blue paint. They are engaged, they’re verbally pushing refs and opponents at every whistle, they push the limits, they ride the “edge.” They want to know just what they can get away with, and put the onus on the referees to say “that’s too far.”

If you’re coaching a team, you’d rather that than the opposite, wouldn’t you?

If the Panthers go deeper into the playoffs – that’s five reviews in just two rounds, you’ll note – don’t be surprised to see them engaged in more of these battles. It’s working for them by and large, so I’d expect Swayman to be a landing pad for some Panthers forward in Game 6 at some point.

It directly reflects the Panthers' image as controversial, combative, and willing to do whatever it takes to win. If we know anything about the way playoff hockey unfolds, any little edge can be the one that pushes a team over the top.