Jeremy Swayman blasts the NHL after controversial goal
The Bruins have a serious beef with the NHL's officiating.
The Boston Bruins' frustration with the NHL's officiating in their Round 2 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Florida Panthers goes far beyond mere dissatisfaction. Firstly, they're incensed by Panthers forward Sam Bennett's actions, particularly his alleged sucker-punch on captain Brad Marchand during Game 3, an incident he vehemently denied despite replays suggesting otherwise.
And to make matters worse, it was Bennett who tied the score in the 3rd period of yesterday's Game 4, which Marchand was unable to suit up for. The controversial tally withstood a video review for goaltender interference, in which the aforementioned Bennett crosschecked Charlie Coyle into goaltender Jeremy Swayman before depositing the puck past him into the open net.
Needless to say, Swayman couldn't have disagreed with the call more.
“I don’t think progress was impeded,” a frustrated Swayman explained. “I just think that we could have prevented that. The fact is that (Charlie) Coyle was pushed into me and I couldn’t play my position. That’s that. I just want to stick to facts. The fact is that my own player was pushed into me by theirs and I couldn’t play my position.”
“I know that our guys aren’t going to call challenge unless they know it’s going to get reversed,” Swayman stated. “The fact is that I couldn’t play my position. … In the moment, I didn’t know what happened. I just know that I couldn’t play my position. The review showed that.”
Bennett's goal, which leveled the score at 2-2, nullified the Bruins' hard-earned two-goal lead. Shortly thereafter, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov netted the winning goal, securing a crucial victory for Florida. This result now places Boston in a dire situation, with their backs firmly against the wall.
Did the NHL get either of the calls involving Bennett right, or are the Bruins right to feel slighted?
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