Sergei Bobrovsky goes off on the NHL after goalie interference debacle

Sergei Bobrovsky wants some clarity when it comes to the NHL rules as he believes some more transparency over goalie interference is sorely needed.

Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth after Darren Raddysh's retaliatory penalty gave the Mammoth just enough room to do damage, and came away with a game-winning power-play goal with only minutes to go.

However, they might not have even gotten to three goals had it not been for a bit of luck on their second. It seemed as though Sergei Bobrovsky ran into some interference from the Mammoth that caused him serious trouble - but no call was made:

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It sparked a debate over what the rules actually constitute, and the fact that Bobrovsky was outside of the blue paint if often a discussion point when it comes to interference calls and it's something Bobrovsky wants a bit more clarity on.

Bobrovsky calls out the NHL rules for murky interference rules

Speaking to reporters after the game, Bobrovsky admitted there is too much of a grey area with the rules, and that he was unable to do his job thanks to being interfered with, regardless of how stringent the rules want to be:

In my understanding because the goalie is not in the crease that's the reason. There's lots of grey area. Obviously, in that particular moment I couldn't do my job, I couldn't stop the puck… so yeah, I do feel there's lots of questions, I do feel it's not as clear.

Why the NHL seemingly allowed a good goal despite video evidence

The rules state the following when it comes to goalie interference:

Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper's ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.

Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted,and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.

Based on the video evidence above, Bobrovsky was already in a set position when Barrett Hayton slipped between Bobrovsky and Darren Raddysh and purposefully glided into the Leafs goalie.

He could have easily went around or fought with Raddysh in front of Bobrovsky, and that could have led to incidental contact - and a good goal.

But the fact that he found a lane that he could manipulate and interfere with, Hayton took the competitive advantage he had and succeeded. He had not made a reasonable effort to avoid contact, and could have just as easily caused a problem standing a foot in front of Bobrovsky.

It's a thorn in many fans and goaltenders sides that the NHL seems to have a real inconsistent track record when it comes to goalie interference, and a lot of it seems to be up to interpretation despite there being clear guidelines.

You can't fault Bobrovsky for having a bad game against Utah, he didn't. He was just the latest victim of the NHL's goalie interference problem - one that seems to be growing week to week.

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