Did non-call on Flyers goalie Carter Hart cost Islanders in Game 5?
The Islanders react after their 4-3 overtime loss against the Flyers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
The Flyers’ second overtime goal of this second-round series against the Islanders, giving them a 4-3 win in Tuesday night’s Game 5 to stave off elimination at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, followed a similar pattern to their first in Game 2.
The Islanders iced the puck. The Flyers won the offensive-zone faceoff and a shot from a defenseman, in this case Ivan Provorov, was deflected in, in this case by Scott Laughton at 12:20.
But the Islanders would have been right to wonder why they weren’t on a power play at the time of Laughton’s winner. At 11:00, Flyers goalie Carter Hart went behind his crease and gloved a puck rimming around the glass. By letter of the law, that should have been a delay of game penalty.
Instead, the refereeing crew of Francis Charron and Chris Lee let the 22-year-old goalie off with a warning.
“No, not at all,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said when asked whether he sought an explanation for the non-call.
“I was just trying to knock the puck down off the glass there and I didn’t even notice it bounced right in my glove,” Hart said. “I didn’t know what to do. I quickly sprinted back to my crease and then got a warning. I’ve just got to be a little more careful next time.”
In Game 2, Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers scored the winning overtime goal on a shot that deflected off the stick of Islanders captain Anders Lee.
Notes & quotes
The Islanders blocked a series-high 28 shots, including a game-high-five from defenseman Adam Pelech and four each from defensemen Nick Leddy and Andy Greene. The Islanders blocked 31 shots in each of their series-clinching victories over the Panthers and Capitals . . . Josh Bailey’s two assists gave him his fifth multi-point performance this postseason . . . Left wing Derick Brassard, who did not receive any special teams ice time, played a team-low 9:09 . . . Thursday’s Game 6 will be at 7 p.m.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
