Stop us if you've heard this before, but there was another controversial goaltender interference challenge in the Boston Bruins-Florida Panthers series.
Just two days after Sam Bennett was awarded a controversial goal in a Game 4 win for the Panthers, on Tuesday, it was the Bruins' turn.
With Game 5 tied at 1-1, Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy appeared to give his team a 2-1 lead when he ripped one by Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
However, after viewing the replay, Panthers coach Paul Maurice decided to challenge for goaltender interference as it looked like Bruins forward Danton Heinen may have had his stick on Bobrovsky's right pad and impacted his ability to make the save.
After a review, however, referees Steve Kozari and Kyle Rehman announced that "video review confirmed no goaltender interference infractions occurred prior to McAvoy’s goal." The announcement was met with a chorus of boos from the Panthers faithful.
Rule 69.3 of the NHL rulebook states that when a goaltender is in his crease, if he is "in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be
disallowed."
Bobrovsky was right at the top of his crease when Heinen, who was also in the crease, appeared to touch his pad with his stick.
"I thought on the play, when I collected the puck, I got my head up and he seemed square to me, that he was able to square up and it was just one-on-one. Didn't look like he was interfered with," McAvoy told reporters after the game. "I just kept thinking it was a fair play. He had a chance and just, happy that went our way."
With both McAvoy's goal and Bennett's in Game 4 being upheld, four out of five goaltender interference challenges this post-season have now been upheld.
The Panthers were handed a two-minute delay of game penalty for the unsuccessful challenge that the managed to kill off.
McAvoy's goal — much like Bennett's in Game 4 — stood as the game-winner as the Bruins forced a Game 6 back in Boston on Friday.
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