The KHL Refereeing department has issued a clarification of two controversial episodes which took place on the 4th of October.
During overtime in the Atlant vs. Vityaz game, following a pass from Atlant forward Jonas Andersson the puck fell to his team-mate, defenseman Janne Niskala, who at that moment stood outside the area of the goal crease. The puck ricocheted off the attacking player and into the goal crease. Niskala followed the puck into the crease and directed it into the net (see video clip). As the puck was already in the goal crease by the time Niskala entered the area, the goal was correctly awarded.
The Refereeing department would like to point out that in the above instance the referee did not have the right to refer the episode for video review according to rule 330 – the position of a player in the goal crease when a goal is scored is for the referee to determine at the time of the episode.
Play was halted in the 54th minute of the game between Ak Bars and Metallurg Magnitogorsk when a shot by Kazan defenseman Konstantin Korneyev resulted in the puck ending up over the “Magnitka” goal line. Referee Evgeny Romasko called for a video review to determine the movement of the puck, and detailed examination of the video footage showed that, despite the efforts of Metallurg goaltender Georgy Gelashvili to repel the puck, it had indeed gone over the goal line. The position of the puck is shown by the arrows. On the basis of the video review the referee awarded the goal to Ak Bars.
