Nashville Predators Have Legitimate Reasons Why The Goal Should Not Have Counted
There was more controversy in the NHL on Tuesday night. No, it did not involve goalie interference. This time, the controversy surrounded a goal scored by Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson into the boards, not the net, in overtime against the Nashville Predators.
A TRULY WILD ENDING! ?
Marcus Johansson secures the Subway Canada OT winner for Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/By1CCyVZc2
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 5, 2025
There are two sides to every outcome. The Wild are thrilled they won, while the Predators are annoyed they lost. And let’s be honest, the Predators have legitimate gripes as to why they believe the goal should not have counted.
NHL Rumors: Have Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators Had Trade Discussions
Before diving into those, remember that the official’s call on the ice was a goal. The officials believed that Predators goaltender Justus Annunen knocked the net off on purpose, preventing a goal. So that means there needs to be indisputable video evidence to overturn this call.
The NHL Situation Room agreed with the officials on the ice. It is still unclear who made the decision, but after the replay process, it was determined that the Wild won the game and that Marcus Johansson’s goal stood, citing Rule 63.7.
The decision was made in accordance with Rule 63.7which states “In the event that the goal post is displaced, either deliberately or accidentally, by a defending player, prior to the puck crossing the goal line between the normal position of the goalposts, the Referee may award a goal.
In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have been displaced by the actions of a defending player, the attacking player must have an imminent scoring opportunity prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.”
However, the explanation leaves much to be desired and is open to many interpretations. Look, even Steven Stamkos of the Nashville Predators, when speaking with Lyndsay Rowley of Fox Sports Nashville, interpreted the rule completely differently from what the call on the ice was.
Well, I think Toronto ended up making the call. Obviously, one of the refs who called it a goal on the ice thought that our goaltender pushed the net off on purpose and therefore denied an opportunity for them to score.
But obviously, there’s two sides to everything. Our side thought obviously the net came off, but he missed the shot and it went wide, and if the net wasn’t off in the angle that it was at, the puck would have went behind the net, and therefore he wouldn’t have had a second opportunity.
So if we’re staying true to the rule. And our interpretation of it is, if the net is off and it directly affects a goal that is scored, then, yeah, we have no problem with that, but the original shot didn’t go in, and the puck bounced back to him because the net was off. So that’s where we were, a little confused.
NHL Rumors: Is Time Winding Down in Nashville for Steven Stamkos?
The Predators aren’t denying the net came off. However, that was the second time the net came off in the game. And Annunen didn’t bump the net that hard to knock it off. However, the referees determined that Annunen had deliberately knocked the net off to deny a goal. This is a significant assumption on the part of both the officials and the Situation Room.
Well that was Wild!
The @mnwild win it in @Energizer overtime! ? pic.twitter.com/J4aVooBRPT
— NHL (@NHL) November 5, 2025
Several other options could have played out. Say the net does not come off, and the pass from Kirill Kaprizov to Marcus Johansson still gets through, does Johansson even score? The way he was angled, that puck is going behind the net or at least to the outside mesh. Maybe Justus Annunen makes a save there on Johansson. We have seen that before.
The NHL Has a Goalie Interference Problem
The fact that the puck comes back to Johansson after the initial shot, the whistle should have blown. But good on Marcus Johansson for playing until he heard a whistle. That is what you are taught as a kid. Play until the whistle. But this was not a continuation play. Therefore, the whistle should have gone and the play should have halted.
But without an official explanation on who made the call, even the answer is open to interpretation.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.
