The Nashville Predators lost 3-2 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 4 at Grand Casino Arena.
Marcus Johansson’s overtime goal was allowed after officials ruled that Predators goalie Justus Annunen intentionally dislodged the net.
The NashvillePredators’ loss to the Minnesota Wild had one of the strangest endings to a hockey game you’ll ever witness.
At the 3:38 mark of overtime, forward Marcus Johansson scored to clinch a 3-2 win for the Wild on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Except, the puck never entered the net.
‘I feel like we got screwed tonight,’ Predators forward Michael McCarron told reporters at Grand Casino Arena after the loss.
On the play, seconds before Johansson touched the puck, Predators goaltender Justus Annunen slid hard into the left post. His skate dislodged the net from its moorings while the Wild had possession of the puck. When the puck found Johansson on the right post, his initial shot hit the outside of the net, then a second shot was ruled a goal by the officials, though it never went in the net.
The officials ruled that Annunen intentionally dislodged the net during an ‘imminent scoring opportunity’ as per NHL rule 63.7. The call was confirmed after a video review from Toronto.
‘The explanation was (the officials) were anticipating it was a goal,’ Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. ‘I disagree with his opinion. That’s the way it is.’
After the game, the NHL released an explanation, saying ‘the actions of Nashville’s Justus Annunen caused the net to be displaced prior to the puck crossing the goal line. Therefore, the referees awarded Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson with a goal.’
But on replay, it’s clear that Johansson’s initial shot would not have gone into the net were it in place. The shot hit the outside of the net, bouncing back to him for a second shot only because the net was dislodged.
‘I don’t know how the ref can stand there with a straight face and call it a goal,’ McCarron said. ‘Then they call Toronto and they still decide it’s a goal. I’m dumbfounded.’
Steven Stamkos befuddled at overtime goal decision
The bizarre conclusion punctuated a fantastic game, including some late heroics from Predators forward Steven Stamkos.
With the Wild holding a 2-1 lead late in the third period, Stamkos scored on a one-time shot from the left circle with 0.3 seconds remaining to tie the game.
‘It was hell of a shot,’ Brunette said. ‘Only a few players in the history of the NHL can make that shot.’
That goal clinched at least a point for the Predators (5-6-4, 14 points).
‘One of our better games of the season,’ he said. ‘We dictated play for most of the night.’
Like Brunette, Stamkos disagreed with the call, shocked that officials would make that ruling given what happened.
‘The confusing part for us was why it was so emphatically called a goal,’ Stamkos said. ‘I get it, the net came off. If the puck goes in right away, no problem if the net’s off. But he missed the net. And the puck actually bounced back to him because the net was sideways and hit the side and it popped back. My interpretation of the rule is if the net wasn’t off, the puck wouldn’t have come back to him and have an open net.’
Nashville now has four overtime losses on the season, including three straight.
The Predators host the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 6 (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.