Early in overtime of Game 4 between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, it seemed like there was a chance an ultra-rare sudden death penalty shot could be called.
Less than a minute into the extra frame, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was hooked from behind on a breakaway by Rangers forward Blake Wheeler.
The referees arm went up, and the hockey world held its breathe waiting for the potential penalty shot. But the officials decided on a two-minute minor for hooking instead.
Everything worked out OK for the Panthers, as Sam Reinhart would score the game-winner on the ensuing power play, helping Florida tie the series at 2-2.
After the game, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was asked if he was hoping for a penalty shot in the moment.
“I’m just not sure I want to answer that question,” Maurice started.
He then broke down the numbers.
“I got a pretty good idea after the game that the math is pretty even,” Maurice said. “I think our power play percentage is about 33.3… I’ve seen a lot of breakaways that don’t go in.
“Maybe the truth is I don’t know, if you asked me and I got to pick one, I don’t know what I would’ve picked.”
He then admitted if his team didn’t score on the power play, his answer would’ve been much different.
“If we hadn’t scored, (expletive) penalty shot all day long,” Maurice said with a smile.
The good thing for Maurice? He doesn’t have to play the revisionist history game as his team now heads to Game 5 all square with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers.