Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau gave his squad the early lead in last night’s shootout with the Minnesota Wild, but it didn’t come without some controversy.
Gaudreau glided in towards Wild netminder Alex Stalock when the confusing move took place. Johnny Hockey deked left before pulling the puck to his side and gently lifted the puck over Stalock.
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In the process, it looked like Gaudreau may have stopped forward momentum with the puck, which would have resulted in the move being illegal. But, the referees saw it differently than Stalock and the rest of the Wild bench and deemed it a legal goal.
The NHL rulebook states “…The puck must be kept in motion towards the opponent’s goal-line and once it is shot, the play shall be considered complete. …” Once the move is slowed down, it becomes clear that while the puck didn’t take a direct approach towards the net, Gaudreau keeps the puck moving forward.
During the move, Gaudreau shifts his body to shoot while skating backwards, creating the illusion the puck stopped moving forward. As long as the puck moves forward at all times, Gaudreau can skate any direction he wants (as long as it is not a spin-o-rama).
Captain Ryan Suter and head coach Bruce Boudreau were not happy with the referee’s decision to deem the goal legal, but it became a moot point as the Wild went on to win in the shootout.
