How disallowed goals can change the course of NHL games

It can take just one goal to light the fire under a team’s skates and charge up the momentum that can propel it to a victory. So what happens to a team’s drive and momentum when the players think they’ve scored a goal, only to see it be disallowed? Some teams can rebound. Many, however, get pushed back on their heels.

This was very present in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final when a goal by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin in the first frame was successfully challenged and overturned by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead of having a 1-0 lead, the Bolts lost momentum and subsequently lost the tilt 5-2.

Earlier in the postseason, Sharks forward Joe Pavelski was the subject of a controversial disallowed goal call in which it was ruled that he “made incidental contact” with Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne. San Jose wasn’t able to capitalize after the call and fell 4-3 to the Predators in triple overtime.

It isn’t just the Stanley Cup Playoffs where this phenomenon occurs either. Go back through headlines from the past NHL regular season and see the number of times that a disallowed goal led to a team’s loss. Surprisingly, there doesn’t appear to be a list anywhere that keeps track of how many disallowed goals there have been throughout the season, as it would be great to see the exact number of times a disallowed goal preceded a team’s defeat.

Without the stats, we turn to the psyche: What is it exactly about having the goal taken away that is so demoralizing? Is it that the rules are too murky and players lose momentum after not being clear on why they are being penalized?

This has recently been brought to light outside of the National Hockey League. Across the Atlantic at the IIHF World Championships, goals are being disallowed at a high rate, leaving teams puzzled. NHL.com explained the scenario a couple days ago:

On its website, the International Ice Hockey Federation used the Belarus-Latvia game as a chance to explain its rules on disallowing goals. Unlike the NHL, which allows goals as long as the goaltender isn't interfered with, the IIHF calls them off if an attacking player — or just his stick — is in the crease, or if a player obstructs the goalie's vision while in the crease. 

Just the blade of (Jonathan) Huberdeau's stick was in the blue paint when (Kevin) Bieksa scored, while (Gints Mejia's) skate was, negating what would have been the game-tying goal for Latvia in the final minute. 

James Reimer supports any rule that keeps goaltenders from getting interfered with, but even he doesn't know how officials are legislating that in this tournament. 

"I know that's happened a few times: we've been bumped and the puck goes in that didn't get called and now the goalie's not interfered with at all and it's getting called," Reimer said. "I think there's just a little bit of confusion among the players right now. We're not quite sure what the rule is or what's getting called."

The players aren’t the only ones confused. Coaches, too, are reportedly asking for clearer explanations. This becomes an even more prominent issue back in the NHL, where the league is still ironing out the wrinkles regarding the new coaches challenge, which was introduced into the league this past regular season. But even with the power to challenge goals, coaches don't regularly understand some of the decisions made in the NHL's Situation Room. Following the overtime loss to Nashville, San Jose coach Peter DeBoer called the rules surrounding Pavelski’s no-goal “clear as mud.”

While there doesn’t seem to be a clear cut answer as to how often a disallowed goal puts a team back on its heels, there is one possible solution that teams can consider in not losing momentum — move on from the play as quickly as possible. At least, that’s the explanation that  Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith gave during the Western Conference Semifinal in 2013, when Chicago rallied from a disallowed goal at the end of regulation to beat the Detroit Red Wings in overtime.

“At the end of the day, there's nothing you can do but move on," Keith reportedly told NHL.com at the time. "You're going to overtime and it was no goal, so you can't just sit around and feel sorry. There's still a game, there's still overtime and still somebody's got to score another goal to win it. There was no panic. We just moved on from it."