Oilers called for penalty that will be impossible with new NHL rule

With just minutes left in last night's Oilers game, the referees mistakenly called a high stick against Nugent-Hopkins.

With about 2 minutes to go in a tie game, Nugent-Hopkins was called for a high-stick, but he never clipped anyone at all. Jets defenceman Dylan Demelo got Adam Lowry with the high stick, and the referees made the common mistake of assuming it was Nugent-Hopkins, and nearly sunk the Oilers with a penalty at an awful time. However, the good news is the NHL is fixing this problem.


At this year's GM meetings just a week ago, insiders reported that the NHL has introduced video reviews for high sticks. This problem, where teammates clip each other with high sticks but draw a penalty, has been happening too frequently when we have the ability to review plays. Next season, coaches will have the ability to challenge these calls. If they're wrong, they're assessed another delay of game penalty.



Last night was a prime example of the importance of getting calls right. It's fortunate that the Oilers were able to rally and kill the penalty, but it's a significant disadvantage that they didn't deserve. It's great to see that the league has actually rectified this hole in the rule book, and these situations won't occur anymore.


Thankfully, the Oilers were able to still pull out the win as Zach Hyman buried his 51st of the season - all on the back of hard work.