Gabriel Landeskog had a goal wiped out in the Avalanche's 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas, and he isn't hiding his frustration with the NHL.
"If you watch it in real speed, there's no chance I can react to that and kick that, but the guys in Toronto make the call," Landeskog said.
He didn't stop there. "Not the first time they take one away, and probably not the last one. It's okay."
The goal was taken off the board for a kicking motion after review in Toronto. Landeskog believes there was no way to direct the puck on purpose at game speed.
Dallas went on to win in the shootout, with Casey DeSmith picking up the victory. The result split the home-and-home after Colorado won Tuesday in Dallas.
The two games had plenty of edge. Roope Hintz and Nathan MacKinnon dropped the gloves on Tuesday, and Cale Makar's hit on Hintz tonight could draw a review.
Jared Bednar's Avalanche lose a goal and a point to Toronto's call
Every goal matters in a game decided by a shootout, and Colorado had to settle for one point.
The veteran, 33, has two goals and four points in seven games. He carries a $7,000,000 cap hit and has been a steady presence after an injury scare earlier this month.
Landeskog has a point. Kicking rules exist to stop deliberate redirects, and if a player can't possibly react at real speed, the review shouldn't go hunting for intent that isn't there.
Reviewing a split-second deflection frame by frame is like judging a sneeze in slow motion. Everything looks intentional when you freeze it.
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Colorado is 4-2-1 and hosts Pittsburgh on Friday. Dallas improved to 3-3-1 and visits Chicago on Saturday.
"It's okay," the veteran said. His tone suggested otherwise, and Toronto's next tight call on Colorado will get plenty of extra scrutiny.
Should Gabriel Landeskog's goal have counted?
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