The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Minnesota Wild thanks to a controversial third-period goal.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins got off on the wrong foot to kick off their brief road trip, but there is a belief a missed call is to blame. Following their loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Penguins were not happy with what led to them giving up the Wild’s game-winning tally.

With the score tied in the third period, while the Wild tried to attack, the puck flew above the glass, where the Penguins believe it hit the safety net. A puck hitting that netting is a call for an immediate stoppage of play.

Instead of the referees blowing the play dead, the game kept moving, and Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov eventually slammed home the go-ahead tally.

Multiple Penguins on the ice immediately called for some sort of review. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic threw his hand up, looking for the goal to be called back, as did Sidney Crosby. Jake Guentzel signaled for the play to be called dead during the action. The Penguins eventually challenged, hoping the goal would come off the board.

After a lengthy review, the officials determined that the puck did not hit the net, and the goal stood and eventually became the game-winner.

Following the contest, the Penguins voiced their displeasure with the missed call.

“Most of the guys on the ice felt that it hit the net,” Crosby said. “It sucks being on the wrong side of some of these challenges.”

Crosby questioned the viability of replay in the sport if they are still going to miss what the Penguins believed was an obvious call.

“Why do the reply if you’re not going to get it right?” Crosby asked. “I know they’re not going to get every single one right, but don’t have a review if you’re not going to at least have decent angles to get it.”

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan voiced a similar displeasure, claiming that even some Wild players believed the play should have been blown dead.

“I clearly don't agree with it; otherwise, I wouldn't have challenged it,” Sullivan said. “Every player on the ice saw it, even their players. So, they thought it was inconclusive. We felt like there was an angle that showed the puck clearly changed direction, and every player in the rink saw.”

Regardless of what the Penguins think, the officials didn’t see enough evidence to overturn the call and rule in their favor. The Penguins could not capitalize on later chances, forcing them to lose by a single goal. One that maybe should have been called dead before it was scored.

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