The St. Louis Blues lost Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals in overtime when Erik Karlsson’s goal gave the Sharks a 5-4 win Wednesday night. Controversy immediately followed as the Blues protested the goal was set up by a hand pass. Blues coach Craig Berube was not happy with the call.
San Jose’s Karlsson thought the game was fair.
Rule 67 – Handling Puck
67.1 Handling Puck – A player shall be permitted to stop or “bat” a puck in the air with his open hand, or push it along the ice with his hand, and the play shall not be stopped unless, in the opinion of the Referee, he has deliberately directed the puck to a teammate in any zone other than the defending zone, in which case the play shall be stopped and a face-off conducted (see Rule 79 – Hand Pass). Play will not be stopped for any hand pass by players in their own defending zone.
Rule 79.1 – Hand Pass
Hand Pass – A player shall be permitted to stop or “bat” a puck in the air with his open hand, or push it along the ice with his hand, and the play shall not be stopped unless, in the opinion of the Referee, he has directed the puck to a teammate.
While it appears that San Jose’s Timo Meier batted the puck toward teammate Gustav Nyquist, the grey area in this rule is if the officials felt it was deliberate. That’s the wording that leaves the interpretation of the rule in question.
