Islanders: Three worst calls against them in last year

Svechnikov High Stick

Against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7 the Islanders were in a dog fight with their division rival. After 60 minutes the score was tied 2-2. Overtime would be needed to settle who got the second point.

At 1:36 into the extra frame, Vincent Trocheck would score a goal to settle it. Except it seemed like in playing the puck for the goal, Andrei Svechnikov had used a high-stick to play the puck.

According to the NHL rule book, it’s OK to play a puck so long as the contact with the puck is made below the shoulder (see rule 80.1). However, that changes if the puck goes directly into the net. A high stick for a goal is the hight of the crossbar (see rule 80.3).

The league felt that contact was made below Svechnikov’s shoulder and so it wasn’t a high stick. Looking at this still image I’d say the stick made contact above Svechnikov’s shoulder.

After a convergence around the iPad, the refs decided that it was a good goal. Barry Trotz was not happy afterward. Barry isn’t one to go after the refs, but when he was walking off the ice he had a rather heated exchange with the officials.

I have a hard time with this one. If the puck had gone in the net like Svechnikov had intended it to this wouldn’t have been a fair goal. But because it hit the crossbar and bounced to Trocheck it was a good goal. That’s ridiculous.

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What made this worse was Scott Mayfield was cut him under his eye and the Isles did not receive a call for it while the Isles took two double minors in the game without once causing injury.

At least the Islanders got a point in the game, but it felt like they were battling the Canes as well as the opposition in this one.