Feb 23, 2021
Habs’ Gallagher vents over disallowed goal
In the final seconds of the third period in Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens thought they they had scored a game-winning goal. After video review, the late marker was disallowed due to goaltender interference by Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher. After the game, Gallagher expressed his frustration.
TSN.ca Staff
In the final seconds of the third period in Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens thought they they had scored a game-winning goal.
After video review, the late marker was disallowed due to goaltender interference by Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher, who tipped the puck past Senators netminder Matt Murray with under three seconds left on the clock in regulation.
The Senators went on to capture the game 5-4 in a shootout.
After the game, Gallagher expressed his frustration about the overturned goal, believing that the Senators goaltender had more than enough to time to reestablish his position, before the puck went into the net.
"I’m still searching for an explanation that makes sense. We sit down at the start of every season and the NHL prepares a video for us. The referees see the exact same video. There was a clip last year, a New York Islanders player bumped (Frederik) Andersen in Toronto. Andersen had time to reset, puck went in, goal counted.”
"I get knocked on my ass, I have time to reset. Can’t tell me the goalie doesn’t have time to reset. The only explanation I got. OK I’m in the blue paint, I’m working my way out of the blue paint. We’ve seen in that same video plenty, plenty of examples where the player’s working his way out, he’s pushed into the goalie, goal counts. We watch this video, the refs watch this video. For some reason, this one, this example is different. I don’t know why. To me it’s ruining the product. I don’t know, we need consistency.”
Senators head coach D.J. Smith believes the correct call was made on the video review.
"I thought it was, I mean I saw his foot kick him and spun him around," Smith told the media after the game. "You get spun around, you can’t reset yourself, so obviously it’s a bounce that went our way."
The shootout loss drops the Canadiens to 9-5-4, with a .611 points percentage, which puts them fourth in the North Division, while the Senators earned their second straight victory, they also topped the Habs on Sunday in overtime.