Add Doug Armstrong to the growing number of NHL executives, coaches and players perplexed by the league's goaltender interference rules.
Armstrong's St. Louis Blues were on the wrong end of a coach's challenge on Thursday, after Boston Bruins forward David Krejci poked in a loose puck to open the scoring following a goalmouth scramble midway through the first period. The sequence involved several players swatting at the puck, including a sprawling Jake Debrusk between the open net and Blues goalie Jake Allen.
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The goal was reviewed and deemed valid, thereby nullifying St. Louis coach Mike Yeo's challenge and forcing the Blues to forfeit their timeout.
Yeo offered no comment to reporters following the game, a 3-1 victory for the Bruins. Blues general manager Armstrong, however, was far more open to discussing his feelings about the ruling.
In reacting to the explanation that Allen did not fight his way back into position in the moments before Krejci swatted the puck home, Armstrong expressed disbelief that an on-ice official can properly judge what a goaltender is capable of.
"Now all of the sudden (the referee) is clairvoyant," Armstrong said, via The Athletic. "There are great saves in our game for a reason because goalies do things they're not supposed to do."
Armstrong joined a chorus of prominent voices around the league bemoaning how the rule has been implemented this season. Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was outspoken on the issue last month after calls went against his team in consecutive games, while Dallas Stars' boss Ken Hitchcock quipped that he's "making money on some of the bets" regarding the success of coach's challenges throughout the NHL.
Thursday's decision only adds to the controversy of a ruling that, according to a Sportsnet report, is used nearly once every seven games.
And while Blues netminder Allen — the man directly impacted by Thursday's review — said it "probably should have been goalie interference," he also said the officials are in a taxing situation.
"It's a tough area to call because it puts the refs in a tough spot," Allen told reporters . "The game's so fast, the game's so quick, and they honestly probably don't have time to see everything on the ice either."