“If Toronto is afraid to overturn calls made by their referee, we don’t need Toronto,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “That’s all I want to say.”
Shortly before the deflection, Palmieri skated in front of the the crease and Merzlikins came forward and bumped into him.
According to the league's explanation, "Palmieri impaired Merzlikins' ability to play his position in the crease prior to the goal."
Palmieri didn't like the call.
“He said there was contact initiated in the crease,” Palmieri said of a conversation with the referee. “And I guess the goalie needs five minutes to get reset and ready for the shot, and it looked like he couldn’t wait to wave it off.”
With one point earned for the shootout loss, the Islanders pulled into a tie with the New York Rangers, one point behind Montreal for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Columbus is another point back.
___
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Credit: AP
Credit: AP