Preds Got Screwed Last Night

I know all of you are thinking, I can't wait for noted hockey expert Clay Travis to break down the technicalities of why the Nashville Predator goal early in the second quarter didn't count last night -- so here I am. Just a regular Gordie Fucking Howe reincarnated to make sense of this huge mess.

First of all, everyone with a functional brain knows the referee totally blew it when he inadvertently blew his whistle and negated the Preds goal. I've only reffed one game ever and it was the Alabama spring game back in 2010. The most important rule we were told back then -- DON'T BLOW YOUR WHISTLES.

So, yeah, don't blow your fucking whistle unless you're dating FLO-RIDA.

Now, granted, I don't know much about hockey, but I do know to look at rules when controversies arise. That's what the rule book exists for, to solve complex issues.

And here's the rule on goal scoring reviews after a whistle is blown:











Now what does "culmination of a continuous play where the result was unimpacted by the whistle" actually look like on the ice when replay is implemented?

It looks like this goal from October, which featured the exact same scenario in Sabres-Flames as existed in Penguins-Preds and was allowed to stand upon review.









I mean, this is the exact same situation!

And they reviewed it and determined the goal should have counted.

So if you're reviewing this play in a relatively meaningless regular season game in October, how in the world do you not review a goal in a scoreless game six of the Stanley Cup Final?

Still not convinced?

Okay, now look at this behind the goal view of the Preds situation. This goal is the very definition "of a continuous play where the result was unimpacted by the whistle." This goal would have been scored whether there was a whistle or not. There is no one to stop the goal from being scored.













Under the NHL's own rules this goal should have been reviewed and based on the precedent established above, it should have counted.

So it's hard to come to any other conclusion than the NHL bungled this situation massively and cost the Preds a goal which would have given them a 1-0 lead in game six. What would have happened from there? We don't know. But given how few goals were scored in this game -- the Penguins didn't score until 1:30 was left in regulation -- isn't it altogether likely that the failure to review this goal and reverse a clearly bad call by a referee cost the Preds the opportunity to play Game 7 on Wednesday night?

I think so.

Yes, bad calls happen in sports, but that's why rules exist to ensure those bad calls are remedied when possible. Here the NHL has a specific rule designed for this exact game situation and it wasn't accurately applied.

On its biggest stage, with the largest possible stakes, the NHL totally whiffed when it counted.

If this were the NFL, MLB or NBA, people would lose their minds.

But because it's hockey, most won't even notice.

Still, it's shameful.
















Written by
Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.