St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo had his goal wiped from the scoreboard because it deflected off a referee during the first period of Tuesday night's game against Florida.
It happened in the first period as Bortuzzo had control of the puck near the red line and was simply trying to dump the puck into the corner of the Panthers zone. Bortuzzo got some air underneath the puck and sent it right towards the spot where referee Tim Peel was standing. The puck hit Peel in the midsection and took some crazy bounces straight down the goal line towards the Panthers net. Goaltender Roberto Luongo couldn't stop the puck as it found its way between his skate and the goalpost and into the net.
What were the chances of the puck not only hitting the referee, but bouncing off the referee and into the net, especially with Peel standing in the corner of the ice? That couldn't happen again if he tried.
Peel was clearly shaken up and was checked out by a trainer, who helped him off the ice.
Normally the referee would be considered part of the play. However, according to NHL rule 78.5, a puck that deflects directly into the net off an official, as was the case here, must be disallowed. Therefore, Bortuzzo's goal did not count.
In the end, Bortuzzo's goal wasn't needed as the Blues beat the Panthers 4-3.
[SportsNet]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
