"We'll bring in the CIA" - Paul Maurice humorously argues contentious offside call during Stanley Cup Final Game 6

By Anjum Rajonno

Modified Jun 22, 2024 05:24 GMT

The Florida Panthers saw an important second-period goal ruled out in their 5-1 Stanley Cup Final Game 6 loss on Friday. During the second period of the game, Aleksander Barkov’s opener for the Panthers was challenged for offside by the Edmonton Oilers.

Upon review, officials determined that Sam Reinhart had entered the zone just ahead of Carter Verhaeghe and the puck, nullifying Barkov's goal. Regarding this, Panthers' head coach Paul Maurice said:

"I have no idea. It may have been offside. The lines person informed me that it was the last clip that they got based on which they made the decision. I don't have those. I was upset after the call based on what I got, based on what my video person looks at. There's no way I would've challenged that had it been reversed."

Paul Maurice then jokingly suggested bringing in the CIA to analyze the situation further:

“I'm not saying it's not offside. We'll get still frames, we'll bring in the CIA to figure it out."

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Paul Maurice opens up about Panthers’ power-play woes

During the interview, Panthers coach Paul Maurice was asked about the team's inability to capitalize on power play opportunities. In response, Maurice said:

“I think we're lacking a little bit of offensive speed, and that would be true of our five-on-five game. We're getting jammed into corners, so we'll look at places where we can generate speed or keep our speed.”

He hinted at making adjustments to maintain speed - an area of improvement heading into Game 7. When asked about his team's slow starts in recent games, Maurice disagreed with the idea that they struggled in the first period and gave credit to the Oilers’ play instead.

“I liked their first period an awful lot," Paul Maurice said. "They were good in the first period. They were quick and they were honest. We didn't move the puck well enough to pull that off."

When asked about the emotional toll of setbacks in the series, Maurice said:

“Well, right now if you walked in the room, there won't be a lot of happy people. I'm not worried about what it is tonight. It doesn't have to be right tonight.”

He mentioned the importance of processing the defeat:

“You suffer a defeat, you feel it, it hurts, you lick your wounds, and then we start building that back tomorrow. But who you are tonight means nothing to who you're going to be two days from now.”

The Panthers and the Oilers will play Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday. With the series now tied 3-3, the winner will lift the prestigious Stanley Cup Trophy in Florida.