- Gary Bettman backed the on-ice ruling that gave Anaheim Game 4 in OT
- The Ducks lead 3-1 and can finish off the Oilers on Tuesday night
- Read below for what the commissioner said about the call and the cameras that made it
Gary Bettman doesn’t think there’s anything to argue about.
The NHL commissioner met with the Associated Press Sports Editors at league headquarters in New York on Tuesday and was asked about the controversial overtime goal that handed the Anaheim Ducks a 3-1 series lead over Edmonton. Bettman didn’t hesitate.
“It wasn’t a controversy, it was absolutely the right call,” Bettman said. “Because of the technology that we currently use and the cameras that we have inside the net, you could see it, knew for certain that it would be in and over the line.”
Here is the play that lit the fuse in the first place:
Ryan Poehling buried the 4-3 winner 2:29 into overtime on Sunday at Honda Center. His sharp-angle pass deflected off Darnell Nurse’s skate and slid through the five-hole on Tristan Jarry. Most of the puck was hidden under Jarry’s skate blade in the overhead view, but the league’s Situation Room confirmed the call.
Anaheim erupted as soon as the green light went up:
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch never bought it.
“I can’t see it going in. I can’t see the line,” Knoblauch said after the game. He noted the on-ice officials only ruled it a goal after a long huddle near center ice, roughly 60 to 90 seconds after the shot. “Wasn’t very definitive.”
Bettman did acknowledge the league is testing new tech that could give replay officials more help in the future, according to The Canadian Press. He stopped short of putting any timeline on it.
You can revisit our coverage of the original OT call here.
The Oilers now face elimination in Game 5 at Rogers Place on Tuesday night, with the Ducks one win away from a stunning first-round upset of the back-to-back Western Conference champs. Anaheim has won three in a row since dropping Game 1.
The commissioner’s stamp of approval won’t change a single mind in the Oilers’ room, but it does set the tone for any future puck-on-the-line debate this postseason.
