Last night, the Oilers fell to the Kings in overtime, losing 3-2 thanks to a very controversial non-call. As officiating continues to be a hot-button topic in these playoffs, this play in which Gabriel Vilardi appears to touch a puck with his stick well above his head should have resulted in the play being blown dead. However, it was allowed to continue, and former Leaf Trevor Moore tallied the game-winner to put the Kings up 2-1 in the series.
Now, can we say that this is absolutely conclusive? It would be tough to say that it was 100% a high stick. The puck is fluttering and comes very close to the stick, there's no question. However, the puck does not change direction, which often happens when it is knocked down with a high stick.
This one is a judgement call at best and you can make an argument either way as to whether or not it touched Vilardi's stick. I know that Oilers fans are very upset about this one, but as Leaf fans, we know all too well what a marginal call can mean to the outcome of a game. We witnessed 2 horrendous calls in Game 6 last year, as well as a really bad one in Game 7 as well.
POLL | ||
22 AVRIL | 78 ANSWERS Oilers down 2-1 in series thanks to a highly controversial OT goal Should this play have been blown dead? | ||
Yes | 55 | 70.5 % |
No | 23 | 29.5 % |
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