The NHL's Goaltender Interference Rule Is Broken Beyond Repair
First and foremost, let me get this out of the way. I hate the New York Rangers. I hate their players, I hate their jerseys, I hate their fans, I hate them all. With that being said...well the New York Rangers got robbed last night because the NHL is a stupid league which is run by stupid people who create stupid rules.
I've written extensively about this epidemic that is destroying our beloved game of hockey. The epidemic of the idiot defenseman. The guy who gets smoked going to the net by an opposing forward, and then continues to make matters worse by then burying that player directly into his own goalie. Not only did you get cooked, but now you are putting the health of your goalie at launching 200 lbs of man directly into him. And that's what we had on display here last night.
Kaapo Kakko turns the corner on Dumolin. His original intended path is to cut across the front of the net and probably roof one right over DeSmith's blocker. He should be entitled to that space in front of the net. In no way was Kaapo Kakko's intended path on a direct collision course with Casey DeSmith. That only happens once Dumolin makes contact and gives Kakko one last shove.
That knocks Kakko off his path, puts him right in line to bury DeSmith, major collision in front and the Rangers end up putting it in the back of the net shortly after. If anything, that is incidental contact. You want to go ahead and tell me that both Kakko and Dumolin share responsibility for that collision with DeSmith? Fine. I'd think you're wrong since all the blame should be on Dumolin, but fine.
But to turn around and take that goal off the board with 3 minutes left in the 3rd period of a 3-3 game in the playoffs all because Kaapo Kakko got pushed into DeSmith and literally had zero way of avoiding that contact?
By the way, still not entirely sure what DeSmith's injury situation is. But I have to assume that getting crushed by Kakko like that didn't help out at all. Just something to keep in mind through the rest of the series.
Either way that game should have been over. My hatred for both of these teams can never outweigh my hatred for rules that simply don't make a lick of sense. And the fact that this play could be deemed goaltender interference and wipe a goal off the board makes the least sense of all.