Sorry, Canada. Dallas Stars insist it was a ‘good goal’ against Winnipeg | Opinion
When an “instant replay” goes into its sixth minute, it should be re-named “Slow bake replay.”
The Dallas Stars’ game-winning goal against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of its second round playoffs series on Sunday was one of those plays that was conclusively a mess, and a delicious source of sports controversy.
Whether it was a “good goal” depends on your zip code.
With the score tied at two early in the third period, Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic was awarded a goal after the longest booth review in the history of Stanley Cup playoff hockey. Not sure if that last part is true, but it feels true.
The replay lasted more than six minutes, and the nice people of Winnipeg are only too sure they were robbed.
The Stars won, 5-2, and now lead the second round playoff series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas.
Replays showed Petrovic was guilty of at least making a kick motion with his skate and clearly connected with the puck. It did not look like he was trying to kick the puck into the net, rather he was trying to stop the puck in an effort to control it.
The puck was moving so fast it deflected off his skate, and then hit the stick of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and went into the net for the game-winning goal.
The Stars immediately celebrated, and the goal woke up what had been a comfy’ American Airlines Center crowd that sounded half asleep. Officials went to Toronto for a booth review that quickly felt like it was another intermission between periods.
The NHL rule book says, “A ‘distinct kicking motion,’ for purposes of Video Review, is one where the video makes clear that an attacking Player has deliberately propelled the puck with a kick of his foot or skate and the puck subsequently enters the net.”
Petrovic was not trying to propel the puck with his skate. He was too far away to make such an attempt.
The rule book says, “A goal cannot be scored on a play where an attacking player propels the puck with his skate into the net (even by means of a subsequent deflection off of another Player) using a ‘distinct kicking motion.’”
Multiple replay angles show that it did not look like Petrovic was trying to kick the puck in the traditional sense.
Regardless, Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel wasn’t buying what the officials were selling.
“It hit our goaltender’s stick and went into the net. That is no goal,” Arniel said. “(The ref) said, ‘Helly’ propelled the puck in.’ I haven’t seen the word ‘propel’ in the rule book.”
Said Jets forward Morgan Barron, “It seemed to me that he kicked it, but what do I know? I would have liked to see it come off the board, obviously.”
The Stars, to your great surprise, think it’s a good goal.
“It’s a long review. At that point you want them to take as much time as they need to get it right,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “You have to have patience. I felt very confident it was a goal. So did our group.”
The review lasted almost seven minutes, and at one point the players poured onto the ice to skate around in an effort to stay warm.
“You’ve seen replays,” Petrovic said. “There’s always that (feeling), you never know what they’re looking at.”
The controversy around the goal over shadowed the fact that it was Petrovic’s first postseason goal in nine years.
The replays show one of those crazy hockey plays that is dangerously close to that rule where a ref’ would have been justified to wipe off the goal. You can see it both ways.
The likely scenario here is that had the goal been immediately disallowed, the same replays would not have shown enough to change the call. Or, had the replay been in Winnipeg, it’s still a 2-2 game.
Such are the joys of instant replays, where definitive is a warm gray color.
The Stars got the goal they needed to break the tie, and immediately thereafter were the better team for the duration of the game.
“If it is a tied game still after that and it goes the other way who knows who gets the next goal,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen said.
One game after being shutout in Winnipeg, the Stars returned home and played their best game of these playoffs. When they play the way they did for much of the afternoon on Sunday, especially in the third period, they’re not going to lose.
Rantanen’s streak of scoring, or assisting, on Stars goals finally ended at 13 on Sunday, but the man still scored a goal and added two assists. He has 18 points in 10 playoff games, including nine goals.
“It’s the best performance I’ve got to witness where I’m standing with a guy on my team,” DeBoer said. “For me, he’s just getting started. He’s warming up here. He’s on a mission.”
For a team to win a Stanley Cup, they must win the overtime games, and they have to get some borderline calls.
In these playoffs, the Stars are 2-0 in overtime, and on the right side of one enormous booth review.
This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM.
