McDavid robbed of penalty shot after referees miss basic rule

Playoff hockey games are often so competitive that games can be decided by a single goal, or no goal. In last night's Oilers game, a strange situation came up that could've completely changed the result.

The Kings took an early two goal lead, but the Oilers quickly mounted a comeback that began with a disallowed goal. Late in the first, there was a mad scramble for the puck in the King's crease, where it appeared a Kings player placed his hand on the puck. It should've resulted in a penalty shot for the Oilers.





After the play, Connor McDavid was animated, and looked like he was explaining to the referees that he clearly saw a hand cover the puck in the crease. Unfortunately, the referees either couldn't use video review for that challenge, or couldn't find conclusive evidence that did happen. Still, McDavid had the best view of anyone in the arena, and he was likely right about it - the Oilers should have been awarded a penalty shot.



In playoff games where one goal can decide a game, a missed penalty shot for the Oilers could've single handedly made the difference between a win and a loss. The playoffs are notorious for being impacted by terrible refereeing, and at this point in the NHL, it's regarded as a skill to persevere through these awful calls. There's no point in complaining about it now for the Oilers, they just need to focus on the next game at hand.