I don’t know what to say about last night’s game that hasn’t been said by Mickey Redmond or the local sportswriters.
The Wings, obviously, didn’t get their forecheck going until Period 3, and that cost them. Regardless of any bad call or lousy penalty calls (and there were plenty), the Wings need to show up and take the play to the Ducks earlier.
And they also need to find a way to force Anaheim goalie Hiller into moving side to side. Like the Wings former foe Patrick Roy, Hiller is a big guy and if he sees a puck, he will stop it. If they can make Hiller play a more mobile game, the Wings have a chance to beat him.
Now, about the goal-that-wasn’t.
In a game of inches, where you have TWO referees on the ice, it’s inexcusable that such a poor call could be made. Stupidity and incompetence come to mond as potential excuses here. With only four series being played, couldn’t the league find more effective officials to work the game?
The following quote is from E.J. McGuire, the NHL-er leading the truth-rinsing squad for this issue:
McGuire’s explanation of the call: “First off, as any of us watch on a replay, it’s easy to make the correct call. In the case tonight, the official was down along the goal line. He was moving forward toward the net to try to get a look at where the puck was. When he couldn’t see the puck, all referees’ instructions are to blow the whistle and blow the play dead. A combination of the black puck and the black pants may have been a factor. But when he didn’t see the puck, he blew the whistle.”
Detnews.com: NHL responds to waved-off goal in Game 3
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