THE COWBOYS SCHEDULE

BY MARK HALPERN

Last week the NFL released the schedules of all 32 NFL teams and the Cowboys have a rough opening schedule. Cleveland followed by the Saints, Ravens, Giants, Steelers and then the Lions. This will be more on the Defense than the Offense as four of these six are high powered teams. The second half has some easier teams but still will face off against powerhouses such as the 49ers, Bengals and obviously the Eagles once again. The Defense has to be better than last year more on the run as Dallas was notorious for being run over. The Secondary is getting Diggs back which is big and will lighten the load on third year star Daron Bland who is currently slated at the number 2 CB with Gilmore still on the market. 

    Now for the biggest joke of the year on the schedule. The Cowboys annual Thanksgiving game is usually slated more against higher profile teams to draw ratings as they are they only game on at 4:25pm. For the second time in three years the Cowboys will play the Giants on Thanksgiving. It feels like every year it’s the Lions vs the Bears and the Cowboys taking on either the Commanders or Giants, let’s try something different at some point. The Lions game and the late-night game will draw more ratings as well lets call it what it is the Giants.

MARVIN HARRISON JR BEING SUED 

BY FANATICS

BY MARK HALPERN

At the end of last week, we saw our first real story about one of the top rookies in the NFL draft and he is getting noticed for the wrong reasons. Marvin Harrison Jr the son of ex wide receiver Marvin Harrison (Formerly of the Indianapolis Colts) is being sued over his likeness rights for his jump into the NFL. Fanatics as it has been doing to try and steal as many of the top players to sign to their own label and take a firm grasp of the Sport Card market by locking up every top star and basically offering them more to not sign with other card labels. They had been very successful with C.J. Stroud, Bryce young and Will Levis who didn’t have any LICENSED autograph rookie cards because of their deal with fanatics. Fanatics was ready to roll forward with their brand until they were hit with an injunction barring them from producing LICENSED cards until the former contract is up in 2026.

     Fanatics has gotten every player they have targeted so far and had a “DEAL” in place for Harrison Jr, and now he is reneging on the deal saying all he saw was an offer sheet. Harrison Sr is his son’s manager and has been adamant he has not signed any deal and will hold up any production or likeness rights for as long as they need. Harrison Jr is expecting to be one of the top rookies in the draft this year and a star for many more years to come, if he lives up to his expectations this season. Harrison Jr, is launching his own brand and has said he never signed any deal for Fanatics and currently no deal with the NFLPA for his cards to be produced. 

    When I look at this case, I see both stories possibly being true. The way Fanatics has attacked the market you had to expect they were going to protect themselves by locking up the top 4 picks in this year’s draft for their launch in 2026. It is possible that Harrison did sign an offer sheet before the draft and if a court decides that it is legal and binding, he will live up to the deal as it could cost him millions if he decides to go another way. Fanatics might only have an offer sheet and not possibly have a full LIKENESS rights contract and if that is the case then Harrisons own brand line will be able to be produced by whichever way he sees fit. Personally, in my humble opinion there is so much talk but not enough evidence to really support either side and I will keep updating as more is brought to the surface.

2024 Eastern Conference Final Preview: Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers

BY NATE MOSER

With the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes officially eliminated from the NHL playoffs, only two teams are left standing in the Eastern Conference for a chance at lifting the Stanley Cup. There is the Florida Panthers, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season, but were defeated in that series by the champion Vegas Golden Knights. The Panthers are still looking for their first Cup championship in franchise history. Then, there are the New York Rangers, who last made the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, and are looking for their first Cup since 1994. This series should be intense. Both rosters are very deep and skilled. Here are some things to look forward to on both sides.

Looking at the Rangers forwards, they have had a balanced attack throughout their run. Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad both currently lead the team with 14 points each (Trocheck: six goals and eight assists, and Zibanejad: three goals and 11 assists). Following them are Artemi Panarin (four goals and seven assists for 11 points), Chris Kreider (seven goals and three assists for 10 points), and Alexis Lafreniere rounding out the top five scorers (four goals and six assists for 10 points). The Panthers, meanwhile, have continued their successful postseason dominance from their 2023 run. Matthew Tkachuk continues to be one of their core talents with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 11 games. Captain Aleksander Barkov had five goals and eight assists in that same span of games. Carter Verhaeghe has 11 points (six goals and five assists), while Sam Reinhart, who had a career-high regular season campaign that included 57 goals, has five goals and four assists. That is not even including Vladimir Tarasenko, who provides a veteran leadership role based on his experience but also a Cup championship with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.

Focusing on the blueline now, the first defenseman who comes to mind for the Rangers is Adam Fox. The 26-year-old won the Norris Trophy for Best Defenseman in the NHL back in 2021 by putting up a stat line of five goals and 42 assists for 47 points in 55 games. He finished the 2023-24 regular season with 17 goals and 56 assists for 73 points in 72 games. He is one of the best at his position in the league, and he leads a Rangers blueline who also includes the skillsets of Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Erik Gustafsson, Ryan Lindgren, and Braden Schneider. Fox has put up four assists so far in the 2024 playoffs.

Trouba, the current captain for the team, brings a physical presence that has gained his share of negative attention from others. Statistically, this postseason run, he has one goal and three assists for four points. Miller has three points (one goal and two assists) while Gustafsson has chalked up three assists.

Looking at Florida’s defense group, Brandon Montour leads the charge in stats for the club. The 30-year-old caught many eyes last year for the Panthers, and now he is continuing his solid performances in both the 2023-24 regular season, as well as this current playoff run. He has accrued the following:

  • 2022-23 regular season: 16 goals and 57 assists for 73 points in 80 games
  • 2023 playoffs: eight goals and five assists for 13 points in 21 games
  • 2023-24 regular season: eight goals and 25 assists for 33 points in 66 games

Yes, Montour’s production dipped a bit in the regular season, but he has done well for the Panthers in the 2024 postseason with three goals and five assists in 11 games. There’s Gustav Forsling, who re-signed with Florida for eight years back in March. He had two goals and five assists through 11 games. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also has a goal and three assists for four points, while former first overall pick Aaron Ekblad has four assists.

Then, there’s the goaltending. The Rangers have been known for some absolute stars who have suited up for their organization. Mike Richter was a force between the pipes which led the Rangers to their first Cup championship in decades. Then, there is Henrik Lundqvist, who never got a Cup but was one of the goalies who defined the NHL in the mid-to-late 2000s as well as the 2010s. Now, the net belongs to Igor Shesterkin. He has been lights out for many games, and he is so crucial to the success that the team has. When he is on his game, the rest of the players in front of him get a lift in their play. He has a solid defense in front of him, but when Shesterkin is called upon, he plays so well. His 2024 postseason record, as this is being written, is 8-2. He has a 2.40 goals-against-average (GAA) and a save percentage (SV%) of .923. Shesterkin being on his game will make life so much easier for the Rangers and their fans.

For the Panthers, they have had a history of goaltending too. Roberto Luongo leads in that regard, having spent two stints in net for the franchise. Now, they have been aided by the presence of Sergei Bobrovsky. There were times the contract that he signed with the Panthers looked like an overpayment, but he has been stellar for the club lately. Last postseason, Bobrovsky put up a record of 12-6. His GAA on that run was 2.78, while he had a .915 SV%, and one shutout. Then, in the 2023-24 regular season, he posted a record of 36-17-4, with a SV% of .915 and a GAA of 2.37. So far, in this postseason run, he has a record of 8-3. His GAA is 2.37, and he has a SV% of .902. He has put up great numbers and has been on fire lately. Both goalies in Shesterkin and Bobrovsky have barely lost. If both of them play ridiculously well, one single mistake should have a vital impact in which team advances to the next round.

Making my prediction for this Eastern Conference Final matchup, I am picking the Rangers to defeat the Panthers in seven games. It will be close for sure. I do not expect this series to be one-sided. It really could go either way between both clubs. It would not shock me if either one made it to the Cup Final. I just think the Rangers will figure out how to pull it off. They were hot out of the gates, and only lost games recently. That has not doused their chances of winning it all though. They are a skilled bunch and I think they find a way to eliminate the Panthers in seven.

WHAT COMES NEXT : CAROLINA HURRICANES (RIFKIN STATEMENT ADDRESS)

BY MIKE RIFKIN

For the second time in three seasons the New York Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After years of being so close this feels so different for the Hurricanes, because of the going all in at the trade deadline. So, the question is how should the Hurricanes approach the summer to get over the hump.

The Hurricanes didn’t waste too much time after the season ended, they’ve announced an extension with Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour. In six seasons at the helm of the Canes, Brind’Amour has a 278-130-44 record and is 36-32 in the playoffs. Since taking the helm Brind’Amour has taken Carolina to the playoffs every year, taking the team to the Conference Finals twice. 

The Hurricanes will have almost 28 million dollars in cap space this summer, with the cap rising. Don Waddell will have his work cut out for him on retooling this roster because they have a lot of decisions to make and here’s what they have to consider. 

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (WITH  REG SEASON STATS)

FWD: MARTIN NECAS (24 GOALS 53 PTS)

FWD : SETH JARVIS ( 33 GOALS 67 PTS)

FWD : JACK DRURY (8 GOALS 27 PTS) 

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS ( WITH REG SEASON STATS)

FWD : TEUVO TERAVAINEN ( 25 GOALS 53 PTS)

FWD : JAKE GUENTZEL ( 30 GOALS 77 PTS) (8 GOALS 25 PTS WITH CANES)

FWD : JORDAN MARTINOOK (14 GOALS 32 PTS)

FWD STEFAN NOESEN (14 GOALS 37 PTS) 

DEF: JALEN CHATFIELD (8 GOALS 22 PTS 

DEF : BRADY SKJEI (13 GOALS 47 PTS) 

DEF : TONY D’ANGELO (3 GOALS 8 PTS)

DEF : BRETT PESCE  (3 GOALS 13 PTS)

Let’s start with the restricted free agents. Rumors are already swirling on Necas and his availability. He reportedly wants top line minutes and top power play time, and as nice of a year as he had for the Hurricanes, he is probably better off going elsewhere. Teams like the Predators, Sharks, Ducks, Kraken and Red Wings make sense. Now as for Jarvis and Drury, I’d be all in on signing to long deals, especially Jarvis, who continues to grow as a player and was very noticeable in the playoffs. 

Jake Guentzel was everything the Hurricanes could’ve asked for and more. Once he recovered from injury after the trade he created a dynamic duo alongside Sebastian Aho. So even if Guentzel is looking for a little bump from the six million he was making, the Canes should do everything in their power to bring him back. The other forward I’d bring back is Jordan Martinook, he does a little bit of everything for the Canes, and is a critical identity player in my opinion. On the Blue Line it comes down to Brett Pesce or Brady Skjei on who I would try to keep, both are solid top four defensemen. Both will be 30 years old during next season, so it comes down to what each wants. Now Pesce’s name has surfaced in trade rumors in the past, so it might be simpler to move him. 

Allow me to put my GM hat on and show what I would do if I was in the Carolina front office ( Note I am not going to use money, just looking to see who could be a fit) 

Returning : Guentzel, Martinook, Skjei, Jarvis, Drury, Chatfield (if money works)

Going ( and how they could be replaced) :

 Teravainen (Kevin Labanc, Chandler Stephenson)

Necas ( just depends on trade package, but would have to imagine a first rd pick)

Noesen ( Brandon Duhaime, Alexander Barabanov)

Pesce ( Matt Dumba, Matt Grezelcyk)

DeAngelo ( Erik Johnson, Derek Forbort) 

Don Waddell has a tough summer ahead of him, with the Canes being eliminated they do hold onto their first rd pick. But Waddell has a lot of work to do this summer to get the Hurricanes to get to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006. 
https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/cap/_/year/2024/sort/cap_maximum_space2

Berube-Treliving Duo Could Be Last Chance for Shanahan with Leafs

BY NATE MOSER

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Craig Berube will be their next head coach. He replaces Sheldon Keefe, who was behind the bench for the club since he came in midseason after Mike Babcock was fired during the 2019-20 NHL season. Berube was last the head coach of the St. Louis Blues, where he coached them to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2019. He was fired by the Blues in December 2023. He finished his time there having coached in 382 games and producing a record of 206-132-44. He was also head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.

This is the second offseason in a row where the Leafs made a major change in their hockey department. Leafs President Brendan Shanahan parted ways with former team general manager Kyle Dubas and hired Brad Treliving as his replacement following the 2022-23 season. The Leafs followed up a season where they finally were able to get into the second round of the postseason, with yet another first round exit. The clock should be ticking now on Shanahan’s job. He has been in his role with the organization since April 2014. It is surprising already that Shanahan has been in his role so long. Don’t get me wrong, he did a fantastic job creating the foundation of this era in Leafs history. He is a well-respected hockey man, and had the tools to set the organization up well. He brought in arguably the best general manager in the history of the sport in Lou Lamoriello. He brought in Babcock, who had made a significant name for himself while being with the Detroit Red Wings. They drafted and grew some talented players in William Nylander and Mitch Marner. They won the 2016 NHL Draft lottery and landed one of the best American players in the game in Auston Matthews (I still cannot believe he almost netted 70 goals this season. He has been phenomenal on the ice). They brought him a hometown name in John Tavares and gave him the captaincy. This should be working. Unfortunately, for the team and their fanbase, it hasn’t.

The reality of the situation is there have been four general managers now under Shanahan. It started with Dave Nonis. While Shanahan did not hire him originally to the team, he did choose to keep him as general manager his first year in as president. Then it was Lamoriello for a few years. Eventually, Dubas took on that role. Now, it has been Treliving. Looking at head coaches under Shanahan’s time, it started with Randy Carlyle (and interim head coach Peter Horachek), then Babcock, then Keefe, and now Berube. At some point, someone higher up has to take the blame. I am honestly surprised Shanahan was not let go after 2022-23 when Dubas left the team. Shanahan was able to hire another general manager in Treliving and the results are the same. Obviously, some changes are going to happen with the on-ice product (and many expect Marner to be the big piece on the move), but if the Leafs cannot make some more significant progress in the 2025 postseason, I would think it would be time to move on from Shanahan. It has already been a decade with him in his role with the team. Shanahan is a great hockey mind, but it is a results business and the expectations have been raised since talents like Matthews, Marner, and Nylander came into the fold. This is already a hockey market with high expectations, and falling short in the playoffs every season is no longer acceptable. Treliving and Berube are the men responsible to help Shanahan keep his job. If they cannot get the results in a timely fashion, it may be time to tear down the whole management running this operation and start fresh. The clock is ticking.

SCHEFFLER WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN

By Mark Halpern

Scottie Scheffler, one the world’s top golfers, ran into a little bit of a snag on his way to the course in Valhalla. Sometime before he arrived  on Friday there was a fatality at the crosswalk by the entrance to the Course. According to police Scheffler disobeyed an order from police, was charged with a total of three misdemeanors one of them “The cop was dragged to the ground while he resisted arrest” Obviously we have heard several different versions but all pretty close to one another. Scheffler was charged and was out in more than enough time to go and make his tee time which was set for 10:08am. There was no word from the PGA if they were going to move his time due to his incident but it didn’t matter as he not only showed up but was cool, calm and on the top of his game by shooting a 66. 

   Yesterday, 5/18/2024 the Louisville Mayor when asked about the body cam footage and replied “We have no body camera of the incident.” This is where now things are going to get stirred and we are going to see this Officer and Scheffler are going to be in the news for the wrong reason and we have no other word as of now of any witness to corroborate the officer’s charges that he placed on Scheffler. This will be an ongoing story so stay tuned for more.

Chris’s Trick

By Mike Rifkin

Entering the third period of Game Six the New York Rangers trailed the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 and on the verge of having a game seven after having a 3-0 series lead. That’s when the longest tenured Ranger took over.  Chris Kreider, the Rangers first round pick in 2009 had a third period hat trick to help the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Kreider became the first Ranger in nine years (Derrick Brassard) to have a hat trick in the playoffs. Kreider is also the third player in franchise history with a hat trick in one period (Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky). Krieder, the franchise leader in playoff goals (47) will be entering the Conference Final for the fifth time in his career, seeking his second chance at the Stanley Cup, and the team’s first in thirty years. 

Kreider is top ten in goals, power play goals, and points in franchise history. Chris Kreider has been a career Ranger. Once it is done his number 20 will be raised to the rafters at Madison Square Garden, and a big part of the celebration montage will be the performance he put on in game six of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Florida Panthers Need to Re-Sign Sam Reinhart

BY NATE MOSER

The Florida Panthers are currently in an exciting era in their franchise’s history. The club made the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their existence back in 2023, and they have a younger core who will have seasons to continue to grow together and be a serious contender throughout the league. However, as exciting as these times are for the Panthers and their fanbase, there is work to be done for general manager Bill Zito, no matter what happens for them in the 2024 playoffs. There are significant names who are about to hit free agency. There is Vladimir Tarasenko, who Florida got from the Ottawa Senators in a trade during this season. There is Brandon Montour on defense, who if he hits free agency, will garner plenty of attention. Then, there is forward Sam Reinhart, who had a career season and was second in the whole NHL in goals with only Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews getting more (69 goals).

The clock is ticking for the Panthers to get Reinhart re-signed. Free agency is less than two months away now. He has proven that he needs to be one of the talents front and center to represent this organization going forward. He, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aleksander Barkov all finished this season with at least 80 points (Tkachuk had 88 and Barkov 80). Reinhart in particular had career highs in both goals and points. The 28-year-old had 57 goals and 94 points, which led the whole team in both categories.

Reinhart started his career with the Buffalo Sabres. He was selected second overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (Panthers selected defender Aaron Ekblad first overall and the Calgary Flames picked current Panther Sam Bennett third overall). He, along with 2015 second overall pick Jack Eichel, were the faces of the Sabres as they were trying to come out of their organizational rebuild. As a result of skilled teammates like Eichel and forward Ryan O’Reilly among others, Reinhart was almost an underrated part of the team. His production grew over the seasons he put under his belt. He posted the following numbers while in Buffalo:

  • 2014-15: one assist for one point in nine games
  • 2015-16: 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points in 79 games
  • 2016-17: 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 79 games
  • 2017-18: 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in 82 games
  • 2018-19: 22 goals and 43 assists for 65 points in 82 games
  • 2019-20: 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 69 games
  • 2020-21: 25 goals and 15 assists for 40 points in 54 games

At some point, the Sabres needed to give Reinhart that big long-term contract, but it never came. Instead, the extensions he would get would be more bridge deals. If you ask me, it was a fumble on the organization’s fault not to get a long-term contract signed. One team’s fumble is another franchise’s reward. Reinhart was dealt in the summer of 2021 to the Panthers. The full deal was Reinhart to Florida and Buffalo acquiring a first-round pick in 2022 and goalie prospect Devon Levi. While Levi has the potential to become a star goalie between the pipes for Buffalo, Reinhart’s change of scenery proved to be an important move for Florida’s development into a contender.

In Florida’s current era as a contender, Reinhart’s stats have shot up. He has hit his prime with the Panthers, and it skyrocketed especially this season. Since arriving as a Panther, these are the regular season numbers he has posted:

  • 2021-22: 33 goals and 49 assists for 82 points in 79 games
  • 2022-23: 31 goals and 36 assists for 67 points in 82 games
  • 2023-24: 57 goals and 37 assists for 94 points in 82 games

Additionally, Reinhart has netted 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points in his first 41 postseason games, all with Florida. In his first 10 playoff games for 2024, he accumulated five goals and four assists for nine points. That is good for fourth on the squad in points. Barkov (13 points), Tkachuk (13), and Carter Verhaeghe (10) currently have more, as this is being written.

Looking back at Reinhart’s regular season stats for this season, being able to score 50 goals is very hard to do in the NHL, but almost getting 60 is another challenge entirely. Only a few have been able to accomplish that. Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos immediately comes to mind when he potted 60 in 2011-12. Matthews got 69 so he just fell short of the 70 mark. What Reinhart was able to do this season was incredible. Zito needs to make bringing him back priority one. Reinhart is a talent you make room for if his cap hit were to become too much. He deserves every penny he gets this offseason, from the Panthers or from another team. It has been a great pairing between Reinhart and the organization. Letting him walk to another team would just be a huge loss in the progress of the Panthers. It’s your move, Zito. It’s time to pay Sam.

DOLPHINS SCHEDULE RELEASE : 5 GAMES TO WATCH

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The NFL has released the 2024-25 schedule. The Miami Dolphins started last season at 8-3 and finished 11-6 and lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC East should be fun with the Dolphins, Bills and Aaron Rodgers’ return should elevate the Jets. But outside of the division here are five interesting games on the Dolphins schedule. 

Week 1 : Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars last season were in control of the AFC South, but went 1-5 in their last six games and lost the division. The Jags are in a very interesting position with Quarterback Trevor Lawrence who is eligible for a contract extension. So the Dolphins open the season with an in-state opponent and two teams battling for AFC playoff positioning.

Week 13 : Green Bay Packers : Thanksgiving night after you have your Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes,etc… The Dolphins travel to Lambeau Field to play a Packer team, that surprised some people last year by not just making the playoffs, but steamrolling the Cowboys in the Wild Card round. Jordan Love and the newly added Josh Jacobs will lead a Packer offense that shows a lot of speed. 

Week 15 : Houston Texans : Like the Packers, the Texans exceeded expectations last season and won the AFC South. The Texans were active this offseason getting CJ Stroud some new toys in the form of running back Joe Mixon and receiver Stefon Diggs. Demeco Ryans and Mike Mcdaniel did coach together in San Francisco. 

Week 16 : San Francisco 49ers : Mike McDaniel’s old team and arguably the best team in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers are one of the Super Bowl favorites. And just think of the star power offensively : Deebo Samuel, Christian Mccafrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr. It’s a star studded show and is a big late season game where there could be playoff implications on the line. 

Week 17 : Cleveland Browns – The end of the Dolphins’ schedule is very rough and this game in late December is a cherry on top. The Browns possess one of the most interesting teams in the NFL because if they get Deshaun Watson to revert back to his Texans day they could be a sleeper Super Bowl team, but if they don’t they’re a playoff bubble team. But Myles Garrett and company will be in the race for this game so there are playoff implications on the line in this late season game.

What Is Goalie Interference?

By Mike Rifkin

The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game four of their Eastern Conference Semifinal to take a 3-1 series lead. The Panthers swept the two games in Boston. 

The Bruins were up 2-1 in the third period and with the Panthers on the power play, Panthers forward Sam Bennett (who had made a controversial play in game 3) pushed Bruins forward Charlie Coyle into goalie Jeremy Swayman and was able to put the puck in the net and tie the game for Florida. The Bruins challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the play stood, which led to the Bruins being short handed again. 

Rule 69.1 in the NHL Rulebook says “If a defending player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by an attacking player so as to cause the defending player to come into contact with his own goalkeeper, such contact shall be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, and if necessary a penalty assessed to the attacking player and if a goal is scored it would be disallowed”. 

Here’s the thing for me: the rulebook doesn’t say how hard the shove or push has to be. Now the definition of interference is “ When a player uses their body to impede the progress of an opponent with no effort to play the puck, maintain normal foot speed, or an established skating lane”. So by pushing Coyle into Swayman that impedes his progress to potentially make a save or impedes Coyle from clearing the puck, so why did the call stand?  The ruling from the league was “Video review supports the referees’ call on the ice that the shove on Coyle and subsequent contact with Swayman did not prevent Swayman from playing his positions in the crease prior to the goal”. 

According to Scouting the refs website (Link below) there were 87 challenges for goalie interference and 40 were upheld making it 54% during the regular season. This includes five challenges where the goal was initially waved off and one of those was overturned. So far this postseason coaches are 1-4 on coaches challenges on goalie interference.

Here’s the big problem: they’re guessing what is goalie interference. There is no set standard, unless blatantly obvious. So if the players and coaches are confused by goalie interference, then the fans are also confused so what’s the solution. The league averaged 6.3 goals per game, which is the same as it was last season, which means more offense isn’t the problem. But we’ve gotten to the point where nobody knows what is going on when these challenges occur, and Sunday night it might have cost the Boston Bruins the series. We need a rule that is clear and precise on what goalie interference is because these calls are now sinking teams in the playoffs and that’s a rough look for the NHL. 

Scouting the refs link (https://scoutingtherefs.com/nhl-coachs-challenge-tracker-2024-playoffs/)