McDavid laments offside reviews on extremely close plays
Connor McDavid expressed his disdain for long, drawn-out offside reviews on very close plays after his Edmonton Oilers had a goal called back Tuesday night.
"If it takes you 15 minutes to determine if it's offside or not, it probably doesn't really matter," he said with a laugh following the Oilers' 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Though it didn't ultimately affect the outcome, Zach Hyman's goal early in the third period was overturned after a lengthy review because Leon Draisaitl was deemed to be offside.
EDM CHI G37. January 9, 2024. Zach Hyman goal waived off. : Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/9HPSjCp2sF
- Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) January 10, 2024
Here's another look at the play:
Zach Hyman's goal is waived off as Leon Draisaitl was ruled to be offside after Chicago's challenge#LetsGoOilers | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Dd6BW93en1
- Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 10, 2024
"I talked to the linesman after. Ultimately, it's not their call, I guess," McDavid said. "Obviously, they said it came down from the league. But you zoom in, you zoom in, you keep zooming in until you can't zoom in anymore, and I guess it's offside," he added with a laugh.
"These are calls that change games, and, ultimately, it didn't go our way," McDavid said.
The three-time MVP noted that while it was a very close call, the league's reviews are intended to reverse decisions on plays that are more plainly evident.
"I think the NHL uses the analogy 'dead wrong' ... like they want it to be clear and obvious, right? That one's certainly not clear and obvious."
McDavid scored the eventual game-winner earlier in the contest, notching his 15th tally of the season early in the second period. Draisaitl tied the game in the first about two minutes after Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson opened the scoring.
Edmonton improved to 21-15-1 with the victory. The Oilers won their eighth straight game and now sit fourth in the Pacific Division. The injury-riddled Blackhawks - playing without rookie superstar Connor Bedard and numerous others - dropped to 12-27-2. Only the San Jose Sharks have a worse record (9-29-3) this season.
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