About Last Night: What Is Goalie Interference?

Lost in the frustration – at least in terms of how Jets fans felt – over last night’s game, was that we had a pretty entertaining contest between two teams that could possibly be meeting in May for the right to see who plays in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Vegas Golden Knights lead the West with 168 goals scored. The Jets are right behind them with 167.

So of course we had a defensive battle, right?

I suppose it shouldn’t be too much of a shock given the craziness the last game these two teams had back in December, Vegas likely wanted to tighten things up defensively and we all know Paul Maurice isn’t about to let his team run and gun at the expense of defending.

Still, the shots in the third period were 5-4 in favor of Vegas. We knew Vegas would try to lock things down on the road, but didn’t it kinda feel like the Jets went into lock down mode as well?

The Jets seem to make it work in the end, but it would be nice if they showed a teeny bit more urgency when down a goal in the later part of the game.

Still, overall a fun game. It’s just too bad it was overshadowed (again from a Jets fan perspective that is, based on certain Vegas Twitter feeds, they didn’t even realize there was a slash) by a few *ahem* blown calls.

Some of you are going to roll your eyes I am sure, but I just don’t like Dustin Byfuglien out there in OT. Same with Bryan Little. Blake Wheeler is also starting to become suspect in these extra five minute or less sessions.

Three on three overtime in the NHL seems to have two key components in terms of gathering wins. You need to be fast to cover the open ice, and specializing in puck possession seems to be key as well.

I love Buff, I love Lits, but neither of those player specialize in “fast” or “puck possession”

Sorry, neither do you Patrik Laine. You’re a ticking time bomb at times when it comes to holding on to a puck.

Hmmm… If only the Jets had a player who was not only “fast” but also “loves to carry the puck all over the ice” … There has to be a guy…

Oh hai Nik, no, you had two shifts as well in OT. Granted one was only 20 seconds and was followed up by a Wheeler shift that was one minute and 15 seconds long, but you did get a couple of turns out there at least.

Jack Roslovic (who I thought had an outstanding game) or Kyle Connor or even Joel Armia? Would it not hurt to let these guys have a turn?

I get wanting to go with your “big guns” to try and win you a game, but the Jets now have nine overtime/shootout losses and all of three wins (one OT and two shootout) after regulation has ended so maybe it’s time to start seeing what the kids can do since this current method of throwing Buff and Wheeler out on the ice only to see them get caught out for too long a shift is not working overly well.

UGH.

The funny thing (and I don’t mean ‘ha-ha’ funny) is there were some reporters trying to reason whit how the NHL figured that a two handed slash on Connor Hellebuyck just before the Knights second goal wasn’t goalie interference.

Ok, but what if you’re a goalie getting slashed in your own crease?

Fine then, you take a two-hander across your chest/face and tell me if it stops you from doing anything other than wanting to wince in pain and discomfort.

For the first time this season, a scary thought had crossed my mind: “What if we went back to the way it was called during the 1998-99 season?”

The rule wasn’t perfect by any means, but at least it was a black and white rule. If you had a foot in the crease, if you had ANY body part in the goal crease… no goal.

I can already hear you screaming Buffalo. Pipe down. Besides, Dom Hasek isn’t walking through those doors any time soon to carry you to a Cup Final so why would you care?

I don’t know what the answer is to this whole goalie interference thing, BUT I am pretty darn sure a goalie getting slashed in the upper body at any point in time while the puck is either in front of him or sitting in the goal crease, should constitute as goalie interference.