Chicago Blackhawks' Strange Score: What the Puck Is Going On?

Listen up, boys and girls, to the mystery of the phantom goal.

Wednesday night in Chicago, the Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp scored a goal in the third period without the puck ever crossing the goal line.  How is this possible, you ask?

Well, it seems there is a little known new rule this season.  It states that if a player is skating toward an open net (the Ducks had pulled their goalie late in the period, with the Hawks ahead 2-0) and is within scoring range when taken down by the opponent, the player taken down is awarded a goal.

The old rule stated that the goalie would have to come back out on the ice to face a penalty shot.  The only problem now is that no one bothered to remove the old rule from the books.  

Thus, it is currently up to the referee to decide to award a goal—as was done in Wednesday's game—or give a penalty shot.

And let's face it, the new rule makes sense.

If you're on a break away with an open net, why would it then be fair to have to face a goalie for a penalty shot instead?  Of course, anyone would rather shoot at an empty net instead of facing a professional goalie.

Still, this situation struck me as strange.

This all happened in the most improbable of circumstances anyway.  The Hawks, not an elite team by any stretch, were playing their fourth game in five days against the defending Stanley Cup champions and starting a goalie who was making his second career start.

In the Hawks’ 3-0 victory over Anaheim, Sharp was slashed while skating toward the Duck's empty net.  At first the head linesman started to award a penalty shot.  But it was the astute Chicago coaching staff that knew the rule and quickly got the right call the team.

In the end, the net was truly empty—devoid both goalie and puck.  Yet the score still counted, and the Hawks won, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.

Strange days, indeed.