New Jersey Devils Are Exhibit A Of What’s Wrong With NHL Replay

The New Jersey Devils lost another games thanks to the NHL replay rules. Another highlight reel goals is taken away because of a ticky-tack call.

There’s no way it could happen again, right? The New Jersey Devils couldn’t have gotten the shaft by NHL replay rules three times within a week, right? RIGHT? Wrong. The New Jersey Devils took the lead 3-2 in the third period after a beautiful goal by Jesper Bratt. The rookie scored a one-timer off the stick of fellow rookie Nico Hischier. Except it never happened.

St. Louis Blues head coach Mike Yeo challenged the call for offsides. The play that caused the goal was definitely onsides, but a play about 15-20 seconds earlier may have been offsides.

For me, I want the play to be onsides the entire time, so I’m not too worried about the timing off the offsides challenge. My big problem is there are no angles that prove without a shadow of a doubt where Marcus Johansson’s skate hit the ice. There are angles that appear to be clearly offsides if you want it to. There are angles that show it’s clearly onsides if you want it to. In that case, shouldn’t you stick to the call on the ice?

Johansson himself thinks so. He spoke with reporters after the game, and explains he thought he was onsides still.

“It’s a tough call. Not much you can do about it afterwards. That’s how they saw it. Most guys on our team saw it differently. I wish you could challenge it back.” -Marcus Johansson

That quote says a lot, no pun intended. The Devils ended up losing the game in the shootout after Carter Hutton stood on his head in overtime.

If this was the only time the replay rules hurt the Devils, fine. Those calls don’t always go your way, and the Devils would profit from a similar call in the future. However, that hasn’t been the case.

On Saturday, the Washington Capitals went an entire offensive series with six men on the ice. It wasn’t even like it was a bad change, it was six men on the ice for a goal-scoring play.

None of those players are even remotely trying to get off the ice, yet the NHL doesn’t allow a coach to challenge too many players on the ice. Despite that literally being the easiest play to review on replay, it’s not allowed. Yet, the Devils lose a goal based on AT BEST a millimeter of skate that wasn’t on the line.

Hold on, we’re not done here.

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Let’s go back to Friday night against Buffalo. It was another go ahead goal in the third period. This time, a beauty from Taylor Hall.

He passed the puck to himself as he was going over the line. Hall threw the puck passed Robin Lehner to give the Devils a 4-3 lead. Again, I still see no replay where the Devils star was clear cut offsides. But once again, the Devils get a goal taken off the board.

So the Capitals game may not have turned into points for the Devils, but it would have been a one-goal game towards the end which changes the way a team thinks. Either way, the two goals against the Blues and Sabres would have likely been game winners. Instead, the Devils lost both games. Those two points are the difference between first place in the Metropolitan Division and looking up at the Capitals.

Next: New Jersey Devils: Cory Schneider a Top 5 NHL Goalie

The NHL replay rules need to change. They don’t work. If a challenge takes more than five minutes to judge, the call on the ice needs to stand. In fact, the NHL should take the letter of the NFL rules (the letter, not the execution) that the call on the field needs clear and concise evidence to overturn. If it doesn’t happen, then the league will continue to take the air out of buildings with long replays and wrong calls.