WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 The Washington Capitals fell to the Boston Bruins for the second time in eight days on Saturday, losing 3-2 in the shootout, but they came close to a potentially lengthy two-man advantage late in regulation that could have turned the tides.<\/p>\n
With the Caps already up a man thanks to a boarding call from Nikita Zadorov<\/a>, Mark Kastelic<\/a> shot the puck over the glass from the Bruins\u2019 defensive zone, a play the Capitals argued should be a delay-of-game penalty.<\/p>\n Several of the Capitals, including Alex Ovechkin<\/a> and head coach Spencer Carbery were incensed when officials declined to issue a penalty, which would have given the Caps 54 seconds at five-on-three with the score tied. After the game, Carbery explained his side of the dispute.<\/p>\n \u201cI went over this this summer, because this happened to us last year,\u201d Carbery said. \u201cSo if you remember, they put a rule in place for it to be challengeable and I asked a specific question of, \u2018Just call the penalty. Let the Boston Bruins challenge it.\u201d But they say they need to be certain that it was a delay of game.<\/p>\n \u201cMy only issue with that is there\u2019s four sets of eyeballs on the ice. Someone has to see that that goes straight out there. And they didn\u2019t. So their argument is, \u2018We can\u2019t just call it and then expect Boston to challenge it. We have to have seen it.\u2019 And that\u2019s where it\u2019s frustrating and unfortunate, that four guys don\u2019t see that go out. One of the four guys to go like, \u2018I have that going straight out,\u2019 so they can\u2019t call it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich is frustrating, because it\u2019s clear as day. I saw the broadcast was doing a bunch of replays on it, and it just it rolled up on them and goes straight out. And that puts us in a five-on-three. You would expect to score in that scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n Kastelic shot the puck into the boards before it bounced off and ricocheted out of play, constituting a deflection that would not necessitate a penalty.<\/p>\n What counts as a penalizable puck over the glass is defined by NHL Rule 63: Delaying the Game:<\/p>\n 63.2 Minor Penalty \u2013 A minor penalty for delay of game shall be imposed\u2026<\/p>\n (iii) On any player who shoots or bats (using his hand or his stick) the puck directly (non-deflected) out of the playing surface from his defending zone, except where there is no glass. The determining factor shall be the position of the puck when it was shot or batted by the offending player. If contact with the puck occurs while the puck is inside the defending zone, and subsequently goes out of play, the minor penalty shall be assessed. When the puck is shot over the glass \u2018behind\u2019 the players\u2019 bench, the penalty will be assessed;<\/p>\n NOTE: When the puck is shot into the players\u2019 bench, the penalty will not apply. When the puck goes out of the playing area directly off a face-off, no penalty shall be assessed.<\/p>\n While the NHL began allowing penalized teams to challenge the call<\/a> in the 2024-25 season, the Capitals could not challenge the lack of penalty.<\/p>\n