Recently the Maple Leafs played the Penguins in ‘Steel town’ for game one of their home-and-home match-up, losing 5-4 in a game-deciding shootout. For anyone who failed to watch the whole game, Tyler Bozak “scored” the icebreaker for the Leafs about 2 minutes into the first period, only to be waved off. As the replay was shown on TV, everyone agreed that the referee had blown the call and the goal should have been reviewed; something that is non-existent in today’s NHL rulebook.

Coaches should have the right to review a possible goal, or any ‘phantom’ call for that matter, as it is very important to any hockey game. Even at the beginning of the season, the points add up in the end and one blown call can be detrimental to a potential win and ultimately their playoff chances. In this specific scenario the Leafs might have gotten the extra point in the end, not to mention holding the Penguins off from getting a point whatsoever. However, the referee had mistakenly make a bad call and has now left the Buds with a little added pressure on their young shoulders worrying about making up that blown point in another game elsewhere.

I know it’s still February, but the points add up, and as we’ve seen in the past, the differential in points between the 8th and 9th place team is often by 1 or 2 points. These blown calls don’t only happen with the Leafs; they happen night in and night out league wide. The NHL should allow the coach to challenge a “bad” or “good” call made by the referee so teams are always awarded the right call, and possibly the 2 points. The element of strategy is another factor which would be implemented to this rule change, ultimately holding the coaches responsible for their fate if they fail to make a challenge. Between the excitement of challenged plays and the decreased percentage of blown calls, it is hard to disagree that it is time for the NHL to seriously take this into consideration.

Here’s the clip of the goal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRfHfPuXvqM

Steven Rozanec | LeafsWire