Just when the Florida Panthers thought they had shifted momentum on Game 6, the dreaded coach’s challenge pumped the breaks.

Immediately after the Edmonton Oilers scored their second of the night to take a 2-0 lead, the Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov cut the lead in half with a potentially game-changing goal.

Or so he thought.

Immediately, the Oilers’ video coaches were sounding the alarm, and bench boss Kris Knoblauch called for an offside review. After a lengthy meeting between officials, replays showed that as Carter Verhaeghe was carrying the puck over the blue line, Sam Reinhart had already fully crossed into the offensive zone. By the slimmest of margins, the Panthers’ goal was called back, and the Oilers’ two-goal lead restored.

This is the fourth offside review brought on by coach’s challenges of the post-season, and coaches have a 3-1 win rate, according to The Athletic‘s Shayna Goldman. Knoblauch and his video crew were undefeated on offside challenges in the regular season, going 4-0.

Since there was no offside call on the ice, the standard to overturn is high. The on-ice officials and the NHL Situation Room had to determine that the play was definitively offside.

The Oilers, after going down in the Stanley Cup Final 3-0 to the Panthers, are in the process of a historical comeback, winning Games 4 and 5 to claw back to competition. Should they complete the reverse sweep, they would be the first team since the 1942 Maple Leafs to do so.

Game 7, if necessary, will take place on Monday.

In a crucial Game 6 matchup between the Florida Panthers and their opponent, a controversial offside call ultimately overturned what would have been a game-changing goal for the Panthers. The call, made after a video review, sparked debate among fans and players alike.

The play in question occurred late in the third period with the Panthers trailing by one goal. As the Panthers entered the offensive zone, a pass was made to a player who appeared to be just onside. The player then went on to score what would have tied the game and potentially shifted the momentum in favor of the Panthers.

However, upon closer inspection, it was determined that the player was indeed offside at the time of the pass. The referees reviewed the play and ultimately made the decision to overturn the goal, much to the dismay of the Panthers and their fans.

The overturning of the goal had a significant impact on the outcome of the game, as the Panthers were unable to recover from the setback and ultimately fell short in their comeback attempt. The call also raised questions about the effectiveness of video review in determining offside calls and its impact on the flow of the game.

Despite the disappointment of the overturned goal, the Panthers can take solace in the fact that they fought hard until the final buzzer and pushed their opponent to the brink. The team’s resilience and determination will undoubtedly serve them well as they look ahead to future matchups and strive to achieve success in the playoffs.

In conclusion, while the offside call may have been a tough pill to swallow for the Panthers and their fans, it serves as a reminder of the importance of precision and accuracy in officiating. Moving forward, the team will need to regroup and refocus in order to bounce back from this setback and continue their pursuit of victory.