NHL: Parise's Tying Goal for Devils Should Have Counted vs. Islanders

It's a moot point now, but after looking at the replays from Saturday's 3-2 matinee loss to the New York Islanders, Zach Parise's tying goal for the New Jersey Devils in the waning seconds at the Prudential Center should have counted and sent the contest into overtime.

Parise got his stick on a centering pass by Dainius Zubrus with time winding down; but the puck then glanced off his skate and past Isles' goalie Al Montoya with 2.1 seconds left. Replay officials in Toronto looked the play over and called it back, saying that Parise had put the puck home with a distinct kicking motion.

“Of course I was angry,” said Parise to NJ.com after he broke his stick over the net in frustration. “A tight game like that where we worked to get back into it and they make the wrong call.”

The play was originally signalled as good by the on-ice officials; but replay officials overturned the call after a lengthy review. It happened fast, with Patrik Elias winning a faceoff forward and Zubrus slapping the puck in front from the right of Montoya. Parise digs at it with his stick, the puck pops loose, and it glances in off his right skate.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012%2C2%2C326

(Hopefully the links works, the play happens around the 5:00 mark) 

I've seen more than a few goals kicked in, in my over 30 years of watching hockey at all levels. Parise's wasn't one of them—and he didn't think so, either.

“Apparently. I just watched it and, I’m sorry, I can’t agree with it,” Parise said. “I knew it hit off my skate and I knew it hit off my stick, too. But if that’s a kicking motion, then I don’t know."

He's right. It's the NHL War Room that got this one wrong.