最新杏吧原创

The Blues coaches think they know how to deal with goaltender interference. The players? That鈥檚 another story.

With a series of controversial goaltender interference goal reviews across the league in the first week of the season, people around the NHL have taken notice. Five of the eight goalie interference challenges this season have resulted in overturned goals, and the most controversial of them was Corey Perry鈥檚 infraction in Edmonton on Sunday, when an Oilers goal was taken off the board.

During the play, Perry planted himself with his heels in the crease as Flames goalie Dan Vladar initiated contact and tried to make a save. Calgary coach Ryan Huska challenged the play and was successful.

Blues forward Jake Neighbours makes his living around the blue paint, particularly as the net-front guy on 最新杏吧原创鈥� top power-play unit.

鈥淭he one in Edmonton the other day, at that point, you鈥檙e just asking guys not to go to the net,鈥� Neighbours said. 鈥淕oalies are too good nowadays, you need to be able to have that right to be there. In my experience, refs are pretty communicative. During the play, they鈥檒l communicate with you, 鈥楬ey, get out of the blue. Watch the blue.鈥� So they talk to you a lot and try to help you out that way.

鈥淪ome of those calls, I don鈥檛 know what you鈥檙e supposed to do. Perry鈥檚 one the other day, that鈥檚 just a guy going to the net, I don鈥檛 think he really makes contact with him. Yeah, he鈥檚 in the blue, but he doesn鈥檛 affect the goalie鈥檚 ability to stop the puck. I don鈥檛 know. I think there鈥檚 kind of a gray area right now with it.鈥�

Two stalls away from Neighbours was Mathieu Joseph, who had a goal disallowed in the preseason because of a similar play with Jake Oettinger when the Blues hosted the Stars. As Joseph got involved in the discussion, it became more animated with Neighbours.

鈥淚f I鈥檓 standing right here and shot comes and he pushes into me and they call me for goalie interference, that鈥檚 (wrong),鈥� Neighbours said.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e not allowed to initiate contact, we鈥檒l take more inches and more inches and more inches and now they won鈥檛 be able to touch us,鈥� Joseph countered. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not fair.鈥�

In the NHL鈥檚 rule book, Rule 69.3 is pretty clear on contact in the crease, even if initiated by the goaltender.

鈥淚f a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper鈥檚 ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed,鈥� the rule says.

It continues: 鈥淚f, after any contact by a goalkeeper who is attempting to establish position in his goal crease, the attacking player does not immediately vacate his current position in the goal crease (i.e. give ground to the goalkeeper), and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed. In all such cases, whether or not a goal is scored, the attacking player will receive a minor penalty for goalkeeper interference.

鈥淚f an attacking player establishes a significant position within the goal crease, so as to obstruct the goalkeeper鈥檚 vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

鈥淔or this purpose, a player 鈥渆stablishes a significant position within the crease鈥� when, in the Referee鈥檚 judgment, his body, or a substantial portion thereof, is within the goal crease for more than an instantaneous period of time.鈥�

That鈥檚 where Neighbours鈥� argument comes from, that the small presence of skates on the edge of the crease shouldn鈥檛 impact the goalie, nor the officials鈥� call if a goal is scored.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a rule that you can鈥檛 go in the paint like it is in international hockey, where you literally cannot go in the blue paint,鈥� Neighbours said. 鈥淗ere, I feel like there鈥檚 kind of a gray area around it.鈥�

Blues coach Drew Bannister said that the coaching staff reviews the goalie interference challenges every morning to understand where the trends are with the NHL鈥檚 rulings.

鈥淭here is gray area at times, but for the most part, it鈥檚 been pretty standard,鈥� Bannister said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in the blue paint and you make any kind of contact, or if you go to the blue paint without getting pushed in, it鈥檚 probably going to be automatically goalie interference.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e tracked, and obviously, there鈥檚 been some instances in the last few days, last week, where there was questionable calls possibly. On our end, it gives us a good read on what they鈥檙e thinking at the NHL level and what to be prepared for.鈥�