Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Avalanche fans and NHL gamblers robbed by review blunder

10/23/2017 at 5:53pm EDT

By Rik,

When coach’s challenges were introduced to the NHL prior to the 2015/16 season, the thinking was that it would reduce the chances of teams, fans and those betting on matches having their game ruined by a bad decision. But as it turned out, the opposite proved to be the case in the Colorado Avalanche’s narrow loss to the St Louis Blues last Friday.

The NHL has admitted that they made a mistake in disallowing Mikko Rantanen’s goal in the dying minutes, following a coach’s challenge for offside. It was an error that had a direct impact on the result of the game, and will have repercussions that will rumble on and on.

What happened?

The goal was initially allowed, but following the coach’s challenge, officials ruled that Sven Andrighetto was offside, and disallowed the goal. Further examination of the evidence shows that Andrighetto was indeed in the offensive zone when he took possession of the puck, rendering him offside. However, he then left and re-entered the zone before feeding the puck to Rantanen, who scored the goal.

The rules state that challenges can only be made on a player’s entry into the offensive zone immediately before a goal. This means the initial offside infringement was not eligible for review, and the goal should have been permitted to stand.

Impact on NHL betting

The team and fans are understandably angry, but for those who enjoy placing a bet on NHL games, the financial impact could be significant. In the new internet age, where online sports betting sites are generating more traffic by the week, NHL betting is becoming hugely popular all over the world. Gamblers ask nothing more than a fair contest where the rules are applied consistently, and this is an area in which they were clearly let down on Friday.

Ongoing debate

The Avalanche have yet to make a formal comment on the matter, but there was plenty of confusion among their players in the wake of the debacle. Forward Nathan MacKinnon said he was initially worried that it might be offside, but he “didn’t know they could challenge again or whatever happened.”

Meanwhile, Doug Armstrong, the General Manager of The Blues feels that justice was done. He commented that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Andrighetto was offside, and that if the goal had been allowed to stand it would have left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. He said: “The wording of the rule is wrong, not the call on the ice.”

The offside challenge rule has already sparked plenty of debate since its introduction, and will be subject to further refinement next season. The team general managers are scheduled to meet next month in Montreal, and following this latest incident, you can bet that a certain topic will be near the top of the agenda. Armstrong said: “We need to make sure we change the wording in that rule so when it happens again, it is reviewable.”

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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