Stop me if you've heard this before: the NHL made a mistake.

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The mistake occurred this weekend, ironically enough, in a game between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. With second remaining in the third period, Victor Olofsson appeared to have scored a game-tying goal, evening the score at two goals apiece.

The referees in the game, however, disagreed, and led to a controversy that the NHL addressed on Saturday.

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You Be the Judge: Was the Play Offside?


For the non-hockey diehards, of which I consider myself one, a player is not supposed to enter the offensive zone before the puck. So, in theory, if a Sabres' player was over the blue line before the puck was carried over the blue line, then the eventual tying goal should not have counted. I did some investigating, and here's what I found.


The NHL Was Right, but Was Wrong in the Process

It's a confusing concept, but hear me out. The NHL, and the referees at the game, appear to have been correct in their determination of the offside call. That being said, I am *pretty* sure, and the referees were also *pretty* sure when they made the call.

Washington Capitals v Buffalo Sabres
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Unfortunately, you can't be *pretty* sure in the NHL, and the league came out and apologized for it.

As is the case with most replays, you need clear, indisputable evidence in overturn a call in the game. The referees apparently did not have "clear" evidence, but chose to overturn the call anyway.

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Plainly and simply put, though the eye test tells us that the refs may have been right, they didn't follow the rules, and the Buffalo Sabres suffered as a result.

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