Reactions to the NHL's newest feature in the coach's challenge have been mostly positive over the course of the first two months of the season. Some have called it a momentum killer, while others are praising the war room in Toronto's accuracy on getting a majority of the calls right. The biggest controversy to date, however, will probably come in Toronto's own backyard, as the Maple Leafs were given the short end of the stick in a 6-1 drubbing against the Winnipeg Jets.
The call was originally a goal on the ice, as Nick Spaling slammed the puck home from the right post while falling. Winnipeg challenged the goal on the grounds of goaltender interference and after minutes of deliberation came away with the overturned call.
At first brush it certainly has all the makings of goaltender interference, but upon replay, Daniel Winnik is clearly pushed into Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck by Winnipeg's Tyler Myers. Winnik's push into Hellebuyck was only spurred by Myers' contact, and one that should have been enough to uphold the original ruling. The referees saw it differently, however, and the goal -- which would have cut Winnipeg's lead to 4-2 in the third period -- was disallowed, costing the Maple Leafs a potential comeback.