Washington Capitals camp disappointed at Alex Ovechkin's potential game-winning goal being overturned

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Dec 31, 2023 06:57 GMT

The Washington Capitals bid farewell to 2023 on a bitter note, with a potential game-winning goal by Alex Ovechkin disallowed in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Ovechkin found the net with just over a minute left in regulation on a delayed penalty call against Nashville, challenging the play for goaltender interference by Nic Dowd.

According to Capitals Beat Reporter Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, coach Spencer Carbery expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, emphasizing the challenge of overturning a call made on the ice. Carbery said:

"My personal take is there's not enough there to overturn, especially to overturn it because that's where it gets tricky is when it's called a goal on the ice. It needs to be very, very evident to overturn."

The NHL, though, provided an explanation for the challenge, citing Dowd's violation of Rule 69.3, which disallows a goal if an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper in his goal crease.

The timing of Alex Ovechkin's goal also added complexity, as goals scored in the final minute cannot be reviewed by Toronto unless challenged. Carbery explained:

"We just looked at it, so the puck actually goes in at 1:00.8 or something. So if it stops, technically, when the puck goes in the net, then they can't review it in Toronto unless it gets challenged."

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Capitals players disappointed with controversial call on Alex Ovechkin's goal

Capitals players expressed their disappointment with the controversial call on a potential decisive goal by Alex Ovechkin. Capital's Beck Malenstyn expressed his frustration:

"It's obviously frustrating. You want those to go and you're celebrating, you feel like you got it and it gets swept away from you. ... I thought it was a pretty good effort from the group overall.

"I thought we had some chances and dictated a lot of the play aside from maybe those first 10-15 minutes and definitely a lot for us to build on."

Evgeny Kuznetsov acknowledged the officials' role and emphasized the need for hockey players in general to focus on their game:

“What else you can do? There’s a lot of people watching so they see something, then they call it. ... We players, we have to play.”

Eventually, the Capitals secured a point but missed out on a potential victory to close out the year. The disallowed goal, particularly for Alex Ovechkin, would have been a significant way to end 2023.

Despite the setback, the team remains determined to build on the positive aspects of their performance, aiming to carry momentum into their upcoming NHL games.