The Boston Bruins had one final scoring chance foiled Tuesday night on a play some believed should have resulted in a penalty.
The Bruins trailed by a goal in the final minute of Game 3 and were threatening in the Montreal zone when Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban knocked his own net off its moorings.
The referees deemed Subban’s move accidental, resulting only in a clock stoppage and an offensive-zone faceoff for the Bruins, but had they determined the blueliner dislodged the net intentionally, Boston could have been granted a penalty shot. The Canadiens won the ensuing faceoff and tacked on an empty-netter to seal the 4-2 win.
Bruins center David Krejci had the puck on his stick when the whistle was blown, and he called the stoppage frustrating when speaking with reporters after the game.
“After (Subban) rimmed the puck, Torey (Krug) got the puck, and he found me,” Krejci said, via ESPN.com. “I had so much room in front of me, I could have walked in. You never know what can happen with 8 to 10 seconds left. Yeah, it was frustrating at the time, but I don’t know if that was a penalty or not.”
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who was on the bench for an extra attacker at the time, said Subban’s move was something he’d seen before.
“Yeah, well, a veteran move, I guess,” Rask said. “I mean, everybody does it. Referees, sometimes they call it, sometimes they don’t.”
The netminder added that he didn’t know the play could have resulted in a penalty shot.
“Is it?” he said. “I didn’t know that. Maybe I should’ve (complained) about it then.”
Subban finished with a goal and an assist in the win, which gave the Canadiens a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for Thursday night in Montreal.
