The Washington Capitals appeared to have cut their two-goal deficit to one with five minutes remaining in Game 5 against the Boston Bruins on Sunday night.
That was until Tuukka Rask got the attention of officials, who had already noticed the infraction themselves, whistling Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov for interference on Rask. Upon further review, the Capitals forward even threw a crosscheck to Rask’s back to get the Bruins goaltender out of position before the ensuing tally. (You can watch it happen here.)
It was swiftly determined the goal would not count. Boston maintained its 3-1 advantage from that moment on and ultimately earned a series-clinching victory.
Rask expressed after the game that he definitely felt the right call was made.
“Yeah, I saw the replay so at that point I thought it was pretty obvious,” Rask said on a postgame video conference. “When it happens behind you, in your back, you react automatically to the ref just to get his attention. I had no idea if it was their guy or our guy, sometimes it happens that your guy accidentally pushes you, too. But looking at that replay I think it’s pretty obvious that’s no goal.”
Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette seemed to agree with the interference, as well.
“Watching it, I don’t think the call would have went our way and so we didn’t challenge it,” Laviolette said on a video conference, per the team. “It looked to me the contact came from us, and that caused the disruption in the crease.”
The Bruins won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and now advance to play the winner of the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.
