Ak Bars’ goal was scored within the rules
In the overtime of game 1 of Eastern conference finals Ak Bars tallied a
goal that Traktor’s representatives deemed illegal, assuming that the puck
crossed the line of the net after the referees’ whistle.
According to KHL Rulebook, the decision whether to stop the match when the puck hits a goaltender’s helmet is made solely upon head referee’s discretion and isn’t necessarily an automatic action (Rule 234 ‘Goaltender’s helmet and mask’, article 3 of the Keys to the Rule ‘A puck hitting goaltender’s helmet or mask does not necessitate automatic game stoppage). Thus referees determine if there should be a game stoppage, taking into consideration the speed of the shot and the continuation of the episode. During the aforementioned moment referees deemed the puck hitting Michael Garnett’s mask negligible and did not stop the game.
Besides, referees explained the whistle they supposedly gave before the puck hit the net. In actuality, head referee lost the puck out of his sight, but the whistle and the moment when the puck hit the goal happened simultaneously, this is why the goal was deemed legal. The replay shows that puck is not frozen by the goaltender and is in constant motion. When the head referee was asked by Traktor’s head coach to watch the replay, he refused, which is completely within the framework of the KHL Rulebook that states that the head referee cannot watch the replay for the purpose of determining the fact of giving a whistle or player being in the goalmouth, which is why he makes the decision based on how he saw the episode in the match.
According to KHL Rulebook, the decision whether to stop the match when the puck hits a goaltender’s helmet is made solely upon head referee’s discretion and isn’t necessarily an automatic action (Rule 234 ‘Goaltender’s helmet and mask’, article 3 of the Keys to the Rule ‘A puck hitting goaltender’s helmet or mask does not necessitate automatic game stoppage). Thus referees determine if there should be a game stoppage, taking into consideration the speed of the shot and the continuation of the episode. During the aforementioned moment referees deemed the puck hitting Michael Garnett’s mask negligible and did not stop the game.
Besides, referees explained the whistle they supposedly gave before the puck hit the net. In actuality, head referee lost the puck out of his sight, but the whistle and the moment when the puck hit the goal happened simultaneously, this is why the goal was deemed legal. The replay shows that puck is not frozen by the goaltender and is in constant motion. When the head referee was asked by Traktor’s head coach to watch the replay, he refused, which is completely within the framework of the KHL Rulebook that states that the head referee cannot watch the replay for the purpose of determining the fact of giving a whistle or player being in the goalmouth, which is why he makes the decision based on how he saw the episode in the match.
