The Penguins scored two goals in the first period Saturday night against Buffalo, but neither of them counted. Buffalo challenged both and the NHL ruled in the Sabres’ favor. Buffalo then scored a tie-breaking goal late in the third period and added another at 18:24 to win the game, 3-1.
Trailing 1-0, the Penguins scored on a brilliant pass from Sidney Crosby to Drew O’Connor, who flipped the puck behind Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to appear to tie the game. But the Sabres appealed because they felt Crosby had been offside entering the offensive zone, and the replay clearly showed that he was. Later in the period, Jake Guentzel redirected Crosby’s shot into the net, but again the Sabres’ challenge was upheld, this time because of goaltender interference on Guentzel.
According to the NHL office, which made the ruling, “Video review determined that Jake Guentzel made contact with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen impairing his ability to play his position prior to Guentzel’s goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 69.1 which states, in part, ‘Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal.’”
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan disagreed with the call, even after the game and said the team would have to reinterpret the rule. Guentzel’s skates were not in the crease, but his butt was when it struck Luukkonen in the head.
The Penguins finally tied the game in the third period on a Rickard Rakell goal on a 5-on-3 power play, but Buffalo got the game-winner at 15:22 on a goal by Zemgus Girgenson and they sealed the win as Tristan Jarry was skating off the ice to get an extra attacker on and the Sabres’ Rasmus Dhalin launched a shot from the defensive zone, beating a sprawling Jarry as he dove to try to stop the puck.
The Penguins play the Flyers in Philadelphia tomorrow.
