Oilers' McDavid, Knoblauch vent frustration after lengthy offside review

The Edmonton Oilers squeaked out a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, but that win could have been a little bit more comfortable had a third-period goal by Zach Hyman not been overturned by a lengthy video review.

The play came three minutes into the third period with the Oilers already leading 2-1. Defenceman Darnell Nurse sent a high flip pass down the length of the ice that Leon Drasaitl corralled at the Blackhawks' blue line. Drasaitl then fired a pass across the ice to Connor McDavid, who found Hyman in the slot for a tap-in goal.

However, after a coach's challenge by the Blackhawks — and a longer-than-average review by the linesmen — the play was deemed to be offside and the goal was taken off the board.

"If it takes you 15 minutes to determine if it's offside or not, it probably doesn't really matter," McDavid said after the game. "I talked to the linesman after, ultimately it's not their call I guess. They said it came down from the league but you zoom in, you zoom in, you keep zooming in until you can't zoom in anymore and I guess it's offside."

In a statement provided to Sportsnet's Mark Spector, the NHL said that "video review determined that Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl preceded the puck into the offensive zone without possession and control and, therefore, was in an off-side position prior to Zach Hyman’s goal."

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said he wasn't going to argue with the decision but that it was "a tough one."

"As coaches, we get about 30 seconds to decide if it's a good goal or not. I'm not sure how long they get to decide," Knoblauch said. "So we're at a little bit of a disadvantage."

McDavid said he thought the play was on-side and that Drasaitl had possession before crossing the line.

"These are calls that change games and ultimately it didn't go our way," McDavid said. "I think the NHL... they want it to be clear and obvious, right? That one was certainly not clear and obvious."