The Tampa Bay Lightning keep finding ways to lose hockey games.
Milan Hejduk was awarded the lone goal in a shootout when Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith was penalized for throwing his stick as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night.Tampa Bay's players and head coach Rick Tocchet weren't happy with the call. I didn't see the play, so I can't pass judgment. It has to be a tough year for Tampa area hockey fans.Smith's stick came loose when he was making a save on Hejduk's backhander. After discussing the play for several minutes, the officials awarded the goal.
"They huddled to make the decision to see if they felt the stick was thrown," NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy said in a phone interview from Toronto. "And if a stick is thrown, as outlined in Rule 26.4, they can award a goal and that's what they did in this case. There was a strong feeling that his stick was thrown."
Update- Here's a video of the play
It is my opinion the referees badly blew the call. Puck Daddy has more.