Blackhawks spark comeback win with ‘inconclusive’ offside call on goal

In a bizarre twist of fate, the Blackhawks are now the benefactors of an “inconclusive” offside call.

Just a month and change after the Minnesota Wild executed a sneaky touch-up on the blue line that absolutely shouldn’t have counted, the Blackhawks were able to get away with the exact same play.

Seriously, look at this.

That zone entry eventually resulted in a goal for Jonathan Toews to get the Blackhawks within one against the Avalanche.

The NHL put out a statement on the ruling, as they deemed that possession of the puck was key. Toews tagged up on the blue line “the instant” when the puck touched Richard Panik’s stick.

I can maybe see the possession argument here, but the NHL rulebook only covers possession when it’s the puck carrier being called for offside. The rule in question is Rule 83 of the NHL Rule Book.

A player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line regardless of the position of his stick. However, a player actually controlling the puck who shall cross the line ahead of the puck shall not be considered “off-side,” provided he had possession and control of the puck prior to his skates crossing the blue line

The goal was a pretty big spark for the Blackhawks, as they went on to score four goals in three minutes to overtake Colorado for the 6-3 win.