Were Oilers robbed of Game 1 thanks to obscure NHL rule?

The Oilers fell to the Avalanche in Game 1 of the West Final in a wild shootout, but did Edmonton get robbed thanks to a little-known NHL rule?

Any hockey fan watching Game 1 of the West Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs couldn’t help but be entertained by the show that the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche put on. After 60 minutes of fast-paced action, though, it was the Avs that took the 8-6 victory and an early 1-0 lead in the series.

But the win didn’t come without some controversy that has some Oilers fans a little upset.

Late in the first period, Edmonton was able to tie things up at 2-2 after a flurry of scoring from both teams. However, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar got loose and found the back of the net before the first intermission to give the home team the lead.

Edmonton thought that the Avs might’ve been offside on the goal, however, which led to them challenging the call. And upon seeing the replay, it did seem that Valeri Nichushkin was offside when Makar crossed the blue line.

Yet, after review, it was still ruled a goal.

Were Oilers robbed by obscure NHL rule in Game 1?

The reason that the Avalanche still got a good goal on the play was that the officials ruled that, while Makar played the puck across the blue line, he did not touch it again until Nichushkin essentially tagged up and got back onside.

If you didn’t know that was possible, you’re not alone. That’s a rule pulled deep from the rulebooks and, frankly, one that Oilers fans probably have some right to be peeved about.

No, you can’t say they were robbed or screwed because, by this obscure rule, the officials got it right. But even then, it still feels dirty.

And for the crowd saying that the Avs won by two goals, the last came on an empty net, which obviously wouldn’t have happened if Colorado was tied 6-6 instead of up 7-6.