Maurice: 'No way' I would've challenged offside goal
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said he wouldn't have taken the risk of challenging Aleksander Barkov's goal that the Edmonton Oilers got wiped off the board Friday night had the situation been reversed.
However, Maurice acknowledged that Sam Reinhart might have been offside on Barkov's tally, which would've cut the Oilers' lead to 2-1 mere seconds after Edmonton took a two-goal lead. The Pacific Division squad ultimately won 5-1 to force Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
"I have no idea. It may well have been offside," Maurice told the media postgame, including TSN. "The linesperson informed me that it was the last clip that they got where they made the decision that it shows it's offside. I don't have those. So I was upset after the call, based on what I see at my feet and what my video person looks at."
Maurice explained he wouldn't have challenged the call had the script been flipped because nothing he viewed showed it as being definitive at that moment. A failed challenge results in a two-minute minor against the team that attempts to overturn it.
"There was no way I would have challenged that if (the situation were) reversed," he said. "There was no way I thought you could conclusively say that was offside. I don't know what (angles) the Oilers get. I don't know what the league gets. I just know that (if) I had to challenge that based on what I saw, I would not have challenged."
The Panthers bench boss also joked that he and his staff would analyze the footage like a government agency.
"I'm not saying it's not offside," Maurice said. "We'll get still frames, we'll bring in the CIA, we'll figure it out. But in the 30 seconds that I would've made that call, I would not have challenged."
Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe somewhat echoed Maurice's sentiments, pointing out that it was the kind of call needing numerous looks to determine.
"I'm sure it's the right call if they're watching a million replays," Verhaeghe said, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.
But Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said he didn't think the play "was that close," per Sportsnet.
"In my mind, it was definitely offside," he added. "I guess you never know. But it was something we wanted to challenge almost immediately when we saw it."
Had it counted, Barkov's goal would've come 10 seconds after Adam Henrique gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead 46 seconds into the second period.
The Panthers captain scored later, cutting the Oilers' lead to 3-1 on a wrist shot less than 90 seconds into the third period. But Edmonton's Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse buried empty-netters to seal Edmonton's victory.
Game 7 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday in Sunrise, Florida.
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