The Sabres had two goals taken off the board in their 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs
BUFFALO — Had the goals stood, the conversation might have been very different.
The Buffalo Sabres saw two goals wiped off the board during their 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. One of the key moments came late in the third period when Toronto successfully challenged a potential Sabres goal.
Buffalo defenseman Owen Power appeared to cut Toronto’s lead to 5-4 with just 3:26 left in regulation. However, the Maple Leafs challenged the play, arguing that Sam Lafferty’s skate had interfered with Toronto goaltender Matt Murray’s stick just before the puck crossed the line.
The challenge proved successful, and moments later, William Nylander sealed the game for Toronto with an empty-net goal.
"The video guys did a great job. They study this stuff. They're dialed in on it," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of the decision to challenge. "I did see it on the monitor down there, and it looked to me like it was goalie interference, so I was fairly confident."
An unsuccessful challenge would have put Toronto on the penalty kill with Buffalo pressing for an equalizer. And given how debatable goalie interference is and how it has been interpreted, it was a gusty call.
Earlier in the game, the Sabres had another goal disallowed. While trailing 1-0, Buffalo’s Alex Tuch appeared to score, but the play was overturned after a linesman reported a high-sticking infraction by Jason Zucker on Toronto defenseman Chris Tanev. The referee subsequently issued a double-minor penalty to Zucker, nullifying the goal.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman explained the ruling: "When a linesperson reports a double-minor penalty for high-sticking... to the referee following the scoring of a goal by the offending team, the goal must be disallowed and the appropriate penalty assessed."
It was a tough night for a Sabres team that has now gone winless in 12 games. In contrast, the Maple Leafs continued their strong form, winning five of their last six contests.