Jets’ Scott Arniel doesn’t hold back on Stars’ controversial Game 3 goal

When asked what the refs told him, Arniel said, “The puck was kicked, but [Hellebucyk] directed into the net. The rule states that if the puck gets kicked and it hits the body or stick of anyone else but the goaltender, then it’s a goal. It hit our goaltender’s stick and went in the net; that is no goal.”

The Jets coach did not take his foot off the gas in his presser. “They said that [Hellebuyck] ‘propelled the puck in.’ I haven’t seen the word ‘propel’ in the rule book.”

Arniel argued the call to no avail after the ruling came down. The officials huddled around the scorer’s table for a long time, waiting for the ruling from Toronto. Their official call was that the puck was kicked but, as Arniel said, Hellebuyck propelled the puck in. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski pulled up the rulebook, which backs Arniel’s claim.

Less than one minute of game time later, Mikko Rantanen scored his ninth goal of the playoffs to give the Stars a 4-2 lead. While that took some of the impact of the kicked goal away, that did not stop the conversation. Everything in the rule book appears to eliminate an exception for a kicked puck hitting the goalie. If you kick it and the only thing it hits is the goalie, it is a goal. But that is not how it played out on Sunday. How would you rule this play?