Islanders unsure of what goalie interference is anymore

The Islanders’ exasperation with goalie interference calls has been a season-long event. The angry reaction to Kyle Palmieri’s apparent winner against the Blue Jackets on Monday had its foundation in a non-call that went against them in Seattle four months ago, plus several other instances.

It’s too easy to say if the Islanders just played better, if they could only convert on power plays, they wouldn’t put themselves in position to lose a game on a seemingly 50-50 call. NHL games in the playoff push are typically tight and often decided by one goal. These calls will impact the outcome.

It’s not just the Islanders — who conclude a four-game homestand against the Canucks on Wednesday night at UBS Arena — but all players need to know with better certainty exactly what is and what is not goalie interference so they can adjust accordingly at the crease.

“We don’t know what to do anymore, to be honest with you,” Bo Horvat said. “You try to stay out of the crease as best you can and I thought Palms did a great job of coming by and feeling the goaltender and being able to get out and make that tip before the puck was even shot. I thought it was a great play by him.

“I think that’s the frustrating part is we don’t know anymore. It’s a guessing game all the time. We’ve been called back so many times in the last week or two and it’s just really getting frustrating when you’re pushing for a playoff spot. That’s a game-winning goal late in a hockey game and, to me, it’s just unacceptable.”

Palmieri did make brief contact with Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins before settling way out of the blue paint and tipping defenseman Alexander Romanov’s point shot with 9.6 seconds left in regulation in what became a 4-3 shootout loss for the Islanders at UBS Arena. Merzlikins, who also gave Palmieri a shove with his goalie glove, appeared to have sufficient time to reset after the contact and prepare for the shot.

But the goal was immediately waved off on the ice, meaning the NHL off-ice officials in Toronto had to feel there was enough evidence to overturn the call.

Earlier in the game, a goal by Anders Lee withstood a challenge for goalie interference.

But in a 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Canadiens on Thursday, Patrik Laine’s third-period power-play goal withstood the Islanders’ challenge that Juraj Slafkovsky interfered with Ilya Sorokin.

“You should call the league and tell our players because I don’t know what to say anymore,” coach Patrick Roy said when asked how he can best instruct the Islanders to play around the crease. “If you’re outside of the crease, I always thought that was the place to be. Are you telling me that the Slafkovsky goal was not worse than what we saw tonight?”

The Islanders had two potential power-play goals overturned in a 4-1 road loss to the Kings on March 11 on goalie interference challenges. In the end, the scoresheet showed an 0-for-8 on the man advantage in that match.

The Islanders were 0-for-3 with just two shots on the power play against the Blue Jackets.

And then there was the Islanders 3-2 loss in Seattle on March 16. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak scored the winner at 16:47 of the third period despite Roy challenging defenseman Brandon Tanev bumped Sorokin.

That night, Roy angrily said the Islanders had been “robbed.”

So this anger, this frustration is certainly not new for the Islanders.

And it is warranted. Not because the officiating crews or off-ice officials have gotten calls right or wrong. But because nobody seems to know how the rulebook is actually being interpreted.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.