Tuesday night, down 3-0, the Washington Capitals got some life late in the second period, when Dmitry Orlov blasted a shot past San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. The goal was made possible by a perfect screen in front of the net by Jay Beagle. It was Orlov’s first tally since the spring of 2014. Or so we thought.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer challenged the call and, after a lengthy review, official Tim Peel took away the goal due to goaltender interference.
Beagle, who stared at the jumbotron in disbelief while Peel made his ruling, was bewildered.
“I didn’t make contact with him,” Beagle said to RMNB’s Chris Gordon after practice Wednesday.
Did the Caps forward brush Jones as he skated by? “Nope,” Beagle replied.
“I just like to play hockey,” he continued. “I don’t know about any of those rule changes unless they affect me on the ice. It could work in our favor [in the future]. I’m impartial to it.”
So surely Peel skated over to the Capitals bench to explain why he made the ruling.
“We didn’t get an explanation,” said Beagle.
I think we’re all still looking for one.