Report: NHL apologizes to Panthers for blown goaltender interference call

The National Hockey League has reportedly apologized to the Florida Panthers for a blown goaltender interference call that resulted in the Phoenix Coyotes scoring their game-winning goal in a critical 2-1 regulation victory on Thursday night. 

According to Sun Sentinel Panthers beat writer Harvey Fialkov, the on-ice official admitted to the NHL's referee supervisor that he'd "missed the call" after the game was completed. According to Fialkov's sources, the league even sent the Panthers organization an e-mail apologizing for the blown call.

The controversial incident in question was a missed goaltender interference call late in the first period. Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker appeared to bowl over Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo, allowing Antoine Vermette to score the eventual game winner while Luongo was prone. 

You can see the sequence here:

In the third period Luongo was high-sticked in the neck by Coyotes forward Martin Erat, and again there was no call on the play.

"I think they missed it," Panthers head coach Peter Horachek explained after the loss. "He thought it was a penalty on us. They felt like Olsen was [pushing Boedker]. You don't have the ability to look at video for that situation it makes it hard from that side of the net, but obviously, not the right call. It should've been interference, that goal should come back and makes it 1-1."

Continued Horachek: "You're going to have to deal with them. Everybody else does. … I think that every single goal should be reviewed.''

Expanded video review was a topic of discussion at the general manager's meetings in Boca Raton earlier this month. While most general managers who have gone on record seem to agree that increased video review is necessary, the league's general managers have so far failed to build consensus on precisely how it would be implemented.

According to the website Sportsclubstats.com the Phoenix Coyotes saw their playoff chances increase 12.3% on Thursday night, partly due to their regulation victory and partly due to the Dallas Stars' regulation loss in Philadelphia. Talk about a high-leverage blown call.