Did the Andrei Svechnkiov high-stick prevent the New York Islanders from battling the New York Rangers in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Did the Andrei Svechnkiov high-stick prevent the New York Islanders from battling the New York Rangers in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
On this day in 2020, the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes faced off at Nassau Coliseum.
In what was an important matchup between Metropolitan Division rivals, the game ended in controversial fashion, which had implications for a bizarre finish to the Islanders' season.
The teams traded goals throughout, with a Justin Williams tally in the first answered by Ryan Pulock in the second. Joel Edmundson and Josh Bailey exchanged red lights in the third, forcing the game to overtime.
In the extra session, Vincent Trochek scored on the power play:
On the replay, it seemed like Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov's stick was above his shoulder and the crossbar before the puck found Trochek, meaning the goal could've been called back.
However, after a lengthy review, the referees confirmed the call on the ice.
The controversy preceded a week that will live in infamy: the week COVID-19 shut down the sports world. The NHL suspended its season on March 11, just a day after the NBA suspended its season with Rudy Gobert coming down with the disease.
While the NHL resumed its season in August, that high stick had ramifications for the Islanders' path through the Toronto bubble.
The NHL expanded its postseason due to an incomplete regular season, with 12 teams making the postseason making the dance by points percentage.
The missed second point didn't cost the Islanders their spot; New York finished with a .588 point percentage and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, it could've impacted their seeding and their opponent in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
Had the Islanders earned the second point against Carolina, their points percentage would have been .596, putting New York ahead of Carolina, who would have sat at .588.
With the NHL's format for the postseason, their adversary would have been the New York Rangers.
The two New York teams have eight postseason matchups with each other, the last meeting in 1994 where the Rangers swept the Islanders aside. With both teams consistently in the bidding for a playoff spot, the rivalry has heated up in recent years as well.
Despite missing out on the postseason collision, both teams had their moments with each other since then. The two teams met eight times in the 2021 season and outdoors in the 2024 Stadium Series in February.
However, all we can wonder is what might have been if they met in the Toronto bubble, and with the Islanders not getting that infamous call, we'll never know.