Pittsburgh Coach's Challenge Is First In Stanley Cup Final
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Penguins coach Mike Sullivan made the first coach's challenge in Stanley Cup Final history on Monday night and got a Nashville goal wiped out.
In the second year the procedure has been allowed by the NHL, Sullivan challenged what looked like the Predators' first goal when P.K. Subban scored 7:13 into the first period of Game 1.
Pittsburgh contended the play was offside. In consultation with the NHL's situation room, linesman Brian Murphy ruled that Predators winger Filip Forsberg didn't have possession of the puck and was therefore offside by inches , if not less.
After Subban's goal was wiped out, the Penguins scored three goals on five shots later in the first period. The won the game 5-3.
"The impact of that moment, then the chain of events that happened after that with the penalty kills I think changed the course of the game," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "We hate the score. We hate the result. But we'll move forward."
Sullivan is now 2 for 2 in challenging goals in the playoffs. Neither he nor San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer challenged a goal for offside or goaltender interference during the 2016 Final.
So far five goals have been overturned by coach's challenges or league-initiated video review in the 2017 playoffs.
"We don't want to use that challenge frivolously," Sullivan said. "We're trying to be calculated about it. We've sat as a coaching staff at the beginning of the season and we discussed the criteria so we're all on the same page on when and how we're going to make those challenges."
Commissioner Gary Bettman said in his state of the league address prior to the game that the coach's challenge video review system was working as intended.
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