Elliotte Friedman, Kevin Bieksa compare Connor McDavid’s goalie interference call to Mason Marchment’s

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified May 19, 2024 03:50 GMT

In tonight's Game 6 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place, all eyes were on Oilers captain Connor McDavid. During the first period, McDavid bumped into Vancouver Canucks netminder Arturs Silovs, knocking him down and resulting in a goal.

The goal was immediately waved off on the ice due to goalie interference, sparking a discussion between NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa. They compared the McDavid no-goal call to the Mason Marchment no-goal call in the Dallas-Colorado Round 2 series.

Marchment’s disputed no-goal call occurred during the first overtime period of Friday night’s Game 6, with goalie interference attributed to Matt Duchene's contact with Colorado goalie Alexander Georgiev. However, Friedman and Bieksa disagreed, pointing out that Marchment’s goal should have counted since the contact seems to occur outside of the blue area.

However, when discussing Connor McDavid's situation, both concurred that the officials made the right call. Friedman said the following during the Canucks-Oilers first intermission:

"Last night, I didn’t agree with the outcome. Tonight, I do agree with the outcome."

Friedman further explained his position:

"Connor McDavid goes into the crease of his own accord, and even though he gets squeezed in between Blueger and Silovs, the fact that he goes in there on his own accord, wipes out everything else."

Friedman and Bieksa concluded that the officials made the right call on the ice, with Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch being right not to challenge the call.

Connor McDavid and the Oilers force a Game 7

Despite McDavid’s no-goal proving to be a significant issue for Edmonton, the Oilers won the game with a final score of 5-1, courtesy of goals from Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane. The victory forced a Game 7, which will take place on Monday night in Vancouver.

As for the Canucks, their lone goal came from Nils Hoglander midway through the first period, marking his first of the postseason.

The winner of the final game will set up a date with the Dallas Stars. The Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in 2OT on Friday night. The Stars look poised to win their first Stanely Cup since 1999, but they will have to go through Western Canada to get there.

Will it be Vancouver or Edmonton? Let us know your thoughts in the discussion box below!