Officials Completely Miss Game-Winning Goal

The Sabres are very, very bad. The Sharks are very, very good. So for Buffalo to even take San Jose to overtime and gain a point was a moral victory. The Sabres got a real victory too, but only because everyone in the arena somehow missed the Sharks pretty clearly putting the puck over the line in overtime.

After a shot off the post, Tommy Wingels jammed the puck from under Ryan Miller into the net, where Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers quickly kicked it out. The play was blown dead, no video review was called, and the Sabres would go on to win in the shootout.

Referee Mike Leggo, on the goal line, had his view of the puck blocked by Myers. The Sharks didn't protest. San Jose's TV feed didn't show a definitive replay until minutes later. Buffalo's broadcast didn't show it at all. Since the officials didn't realize there was anything worth reviewing, they didn't consult Toronto.

This can't happen. There's a video goal judge in each arena, and while he and the War Room are usually dependent on TV broadcasts, the NHL owns and controls the overhead camera that in this case showed a clear goal. It should have been flagged, reviewed, and the goal and game awarded to the Sharks.

We look forward to the NHL's "we fucked up but we're not going to do anything about it" statement later today.