Referees blow a crucial call only seconds before series-changing goal.

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Published 7 years ago
Referees blow a crucial call only seconds before series-changing goal.
Images Courtesy of Keystone Press

Sunday night's heartbreaking loss will be one that haunts the Florida Panthers' for some time to come.

Despite a record season, the Panthers were eliminated by the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their opening-round series. Isles' captain John Tavares was the hero for New York, tying the game at 1-1 with only 53 seconds remaining in the third period.

Tavares also scored the game-winner in double overtime.

However, it's not the game-winning goal that will haunt the Panthers, but rather the game-tying one.

Moments before Tavares potted the tying goal, Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was taken down with a blatant trip. The referees blew the call and no penalty was assessed.

Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant acknowledged that his team probably could have won the game 1-0, had the right call been made on the play.

"Yes," Gallant admitted after the game when asked if a penalty should have been called on the play, according to Sportsnet's Thomas Drance. "But what can you do?"

Not much, clearly. [pub]

"Obviously, you know, if they thought they would have scored on the other end they would have called it," Gallant added, according to the Miami Herald's George Richards. "It's a tough call, it's a fast game. It wasn't much but the game would have been over. It's tough to swallow."

Here is the blown call:


Source: Sportsnet